Latest news with #Khauf
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First Post
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
'Khauf' and 'Sacred Games' actress Priyanka Setia: 'There's a fear of being a girl, I was driving alone at night recently and…'
She was recently seen in the highly-acclaimed series Khauf and in an exclusive interview with Firstpost, spoke about her prep, the world of the show, and the significance of the moniker. read more Priyanka Setia is a powerhouse performer with over a decade of experience across theatre, film, and digital platforms. Trained under Pankaj Kapur, she has acted in 25+ stage productions and earned acclaim for her roles in hit series like Sacred Games, Rudra, Guilty Minds, Aranyak, and The Office. Priyanka works extensively in the theatre industry and is best known for her roles in Poor Box Productions' The Vagina Monologues, Shikaar and Blank Page. On the big screen, she's known for her impactful performances in Begum Jaan, Khufiya, Hawaizaada, and Haseena Parker. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Beyond performing, Priyanka also wears the creator's hat as the writer and creative brain behind Khalbali Records, an experimental and genre-defying show on JioCinema that dives into the world of music. She was recently seen in the highly-acclaimed series Khauf and in an exclusive interview with Firstpost, spoke about her prep, the world of the show, and the significance of the moniker. Edited excerpts from the interview Khauf has received some fabulous reviews. What are the responses that you have been receiving so far about the show, the content, the performance, everything? I think everybody is very, very happy. And I think everybody saw something, I'll not say binge worthy is the word, but something which is so layered and which is so dense, and it engages you. And I think it is so raw and real. Smita, Pankaj, and I think all the actors, we have tried to achieve this. We tried to do it, and I think we achieved it. People are just surprised. You know, even we were surprised. Amazon is surprised. We were not expecting this kind of response from Khauf. But it did very well for us. So I'm very happy. I'm very happy that people like it, and I'm so happy to be very honest, that in this day and age where we say key attention span is less. Where we say people don't want to engage in meaningful content, where we say people just want to see this, funny one liner content. People here are willing to sit down and engage with something that is cerebral. So I think I'm very happy with this response. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So how was the prep for this character? So, when I auditioned for it, and since then, I think there's only one person who I've been drowning with my questions and that is Smita. The whole credit goes to Smita because it was written so well. And then everything I wanted to know about this character, where is her journey, whatever, I think I would. I just would pick up a call and call her and she would just help me with it. Other than that, for my personal prep, I do what majorly every actor does, getting more into the character, understanding her life choices, her world view, where she is coming from. And I am the kind of actor who does back stories. I know it is looked down upon, and people are not very, you know, they like few actors, they think that why do we need a back story? I mean, to each its own. Right? It's your own individual process. So for me, I have this whole thing of going with the backstory. I met the guy who's playing my husband. I've done one theatre play with him, so I knew him from before. So we met a couple of times, and then we narrowed, we started digging into life. Why are we on such bad terms now? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Well, I even wrote in Rima's diary. So I went into really great depths with the character because I feel it is good to be prepped and do your homework rather than and then let it be there. Your homework is there. And then when you go on stage or you go in front of the screen, a part of it will be there, showing itself in the character somewhere without revealing. What does the title signify for you? It's not just a horror show for sure. Khauf for me, of course, it is for the masses, it is like, to just attract the audience, to just have them enter the room, it is Khauf to tell them that, yes, it's a horror show. But, otherwise, majorly what Smita tried to do with it and what the show is about, the Khauf of being a woman and living and surviving on daily basis in cities like India, but majorly in cities like Delhi or places like that. Khauf is just this whole fear of being a girl. I'm in Goa right now. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And last night, my friend called me to a place, and I was driving a car. Even in that car, I was driving alone, and I was reaching that place. And there was this stretch of road with no lights and empty, and you know how Goa can get at night. Every place is not lit properly. So the first thing that came to my mind, oh my god. If two boys come, what will I do? So constantly, as a woman living up with this Khauf and I've, been brought up in Delhi. I have had those unwanted glares and unwanted touches and unwanted comments. You have been trained under the maverick, the maestro, maverick Pankaj Kapur. So how has that shaped you as an actor over the last few years, your journey as an actor? What are the learnings that have still stayed with you? See, I did a fifteen day workshop with him and the very initial phase of my career. What stayed with me and I think I'm blessed because that was my entry to this world. I was a flight attendant before. So that was my just first entry and with him I think with Pankaj sir, what stayed with me is discipline. With Pankaj sir, what stayed with me is when you go on a set or when you do a character, it's not just going and doing the lines. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yes. It is a major part of it, remembering your lines and script and going and, you know, nibbling it. But when you are in your presence, there is always a being as a being, there is always something which is coming out of you. There is always something that you're saying. You're you are you're never neutral. I think that stayed with me because of how the emotions enter the body and how the body operates from there. Mhmm. And the trust that you need to give to your body for that, you know, that came from Pankaj sir. I hope I made some sense.
Hans India
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Monika Panwar opens up about her journey, missed call with Aamir Khan, and intense filming experiences
Monika Panwar, known for her roles in Khauf, Jamtara: Sabka Number Ayega, and Gaanth: Chapter One: Jamnaa Paar, was recently celebrated as an IMDb Breakout Star, having secured a top spot on their Popular Indian Celebrities list, peaking at number two. In a candid chat for IMDb's exclusive Burning Questions segment, Panwar reflected on pivotal moments in her career—from drama school days to a memorable encounter with Bollywood icon Aamir Khan. Recalling her early days at the National School of Drama, she described the institution as an almost otherworldly space. 'As soon as you walk through the gates, the place exudes a kind of rebellious, creative energy,' she said. 'It feels like you're meant to build, break, and recreate.' One of her standout stories from the interview was about an unexpected message from Aamir Khan after he watched her in Jamtara. Initially convinced it was a prank, she responded dismissively. 'When I realised it was actually him, I was free at the time but told him to call the next day at 2 p.m. That was a huge mistake. I spent the whole night overthinking it. If someone like Aamir Khan reaches out, you shouldn't wait—just speak right away,' she admitted. Their eventual conversation, she shared, was well worth the wait. Panwar also delved into the physical and emotional demands of filming Khauf, especially the climactic eighth episode. 'There were intense stunts with harnesses, and one scene in thick sludge was particularly grueling. It wasn't emotionally draining, but physically, I just wanted it to be over.' To recover after such heavy scenes, she prefers solitude. 'I don't talk to anyone, not even on the way back to the hotel. I need to stay quiet and recharge before the next day.' When asked about future aspirations, Panwar named three directors she dreams of working with—Aamir Khan (in any capacity), Lijo Jose Pellissery, and Payal Kapadia. She also expressed a strong desire to share the screen with acclaimed actor Fahadh Faasil. Panwar's grounded reflections and creative drive make it clear why she's rapidly rising in India's entertainment landscape.
India.com
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Khauf Actress Monika Panwar Becomes IMDbs Breakout Star
New Delhi: IMDb presented 'Breakout Star' STARmeter Award to Khauf star Monika Panwar. The award recognizes strong performers on the Popular Indian Celebrities list published every Monday on the IMDb app. The list charts the page views of the more than 250 million monthly visitors to IMDb worldwide, and has proven to be a keenly accurate predictor of stars who are about to have a breakthrough career moment. Panwar stars in the horror web series Khauf, streaming on Prime Video, where she essays the role of Madhu, a young woman who moves to Delhi from her hometown in Gwalior. The series has received critical acclaim and has been praised by fans for its gripping narrative and impactful performances, receiving a rating of 7.5/10 by IMDb customers. Following the show's success, Panwar has ranked in the top 10 of Popular Indian Celebrities list twice, including reaching the No. 2 spot two weeks ago. Panwar's earlier credits includeJamtara: Sabka Number Ayega, Choona, and Gaanth: Chapter One: Jamnaa Paar. 'I am a big, big fan of IMDb,' shared Monika Panwar. 'For me, cinema and IMDb have always gone hand in hand. So, this is a very special award, and my first as an actor. I believe the most important thing is when your work reaches people and they resonate with it. Since this award is fan-driven, I'm so glad they felt connected with my character in Khaufand have given so much love to our show. I'm very grateful for this.' View the award presentation video here. IMDb customers can also add films and shows from Panwar'sfilmography and other titles to their IMDb Watchlist at Previous IMDb 'Breakout Star' STARmeter Award recipients include Zahan Kapoor, Kani Kusruti, Sharvari, NitanshiGoel,Bhuvan Arora, Adarsh Gourav, Ashley Park, Ayo Edebiri, and Regé-Jean Page.
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Dimple Kapadia said if you call me ‘aunty', I will quit Dil Chahta Hai, recalls Farhan Akhtar: ‘It might look rude if I called her…'
When Farhan Akhtar was making his first film Dil Chahta Hai, he had managed to rope in a mix of the most popular and talented actors of that time. Aside from casting Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan, Farhan managed to bring in veteran actor Dimple Kapadia in one of the most significant roles in the film. Since Dimple was 16 years older than Farhan, and had a lot of seniority over him in terms of their career in the movies, Farhan couldn't decide how to address her, and this confusion went on even after they started shooting. In a chat at the Waves Summt 2025, Farhan said that he found it odd to address her by her name as that might look rude, but at the same time, he knew that calling her 'Dimple aunty' would upset her, so he was caught in a fix. 'When Dimple arrived on the set… So I had spoken to her, I had cast her in the film but the one thing I had not done was that I had not called her anything because I can't call her Dimple aunty, she would get very upset and I can't call her Dimple because I thought she might feel that I am being too rude so I would just say 'ji ji, yes yes, okay okay, yes ma'am',' he recalled. Farhan shared that after a couple of days, Dimple started to notice this and asked him why he wasn't addressing her properly. 'When we working also, we started work and if I had to call her, I couldn't say 'call Dimple', so I would say 'are you ready ma'am? Please come.' So after 2-3 days, she asked, 'why are you not calling me by my name?' I said, 'I don't know what to call you'. She said, 'you better call me Dimple. if Dimple aunty comes out of your mouth, I am leaving this film,' he shared with a laugh and called her an 'amazing person to work with.' ALSO READ | Sinners and Khauf, two atmospheric works of the genre, reveal that true horror is never otherworldly; it lives in the grammar of everyday oppression In 2021, on the 20th anniversary of the film, Farhan shared a special note for his cast and crew members on social media. Here, he shared that he would have scrapped the film if Dimple refused to be a part of it. 'I think if you had said no, I'd probably have had to scrap making the film. Tara was written for you and thank my lucky stars that you said yes. Forever grateful,' he shared on X.
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Sinners and Khauf, two atmospheric works of the genre, reveal that true horror is never otherworldly; it lives in the grammar of everyday oppression
The most potent horror is born from the everyday. It dwells in the mundane, resists the mundane, and seeks to reclaim what the mundane has long denied. True horror isn't found in the jump scare but in the silence that paralyses you, in the stillness that keeps you from leaping forward in life. It isn't the invisible terror that hides in shadows, but the one that stands plainly in the light: unavoidable, yet unnavigable. It is not the fresh wound, but the trauma that runs deep, that is ancestral, generational, neck-deep in history. It is always, without exception, sociological, psychological, political. It always, in every instance, wrests power from the marginalised. And soothes the ego of the privileged. It's rare to witness even one horror tale in a year that truly embodies the ethos I just described. Rarer still is the appearance of two. Yet, that's precisely what happened last month, on April 18th. Two vastly different stories: distinct in language, form, format, and narrative style — emerged, stunned, and swept audiences in equal measure. One was Ryan Coogler's global juggernaut Sinners, the other a quiet, simmering Hindi web series titled Khauf, penned by Smita Singh. Both were horror at its most unflinching, cinema at its finest, and society at its most exposed. Watching them in succession is more than just a genre experience; it's a reckoning. A reminder that the most terrifying monsters aren't conjured; they're inherited. They live beneath our skin, waiting, always waiting, for the smallest crack to break through. Both centre on the vulnerable, those reaching for what was never freely given. Both unfold in spaces they hope to reclaim, to remake as havens. And in both, the powerful intrude, unwilling to let them possess even the barest trace of what should have always been theirs. Each story holds within it characters who try to narrow the divide between the real and the uncanny, and others who sneer at the aspirations of the less privileged. They both begin in flight, from pasts soaked in grief, towards futures imagined in light. To new cities, new homes, chasing the promise of liberation. Only to find that what little they once held is stripped away, piece by piece. They end not with resolution, but with a glimpse of the desperate, devouring battle among the dispossessed, as the privileged stand untouched, spewing contempt, writing the story of violence while never having to live it. Shared post on Time What's equally compelling is how, on the surface, both works appear to be conventional genre pieces: familiar in structure, obedient to the rules of the form. For the most part, they play the game as expected. But it is the lived, intimate experience of their creators, Coogler in Sinners, Singh in Khauf — that infuses these narratives with a resonant subtext: one heavy with the ache to survive, to belong, in a world that speaks only in the language of power and listens only to the voices of the privileged. Whether it's the historical struggle of Black and Brown communities in the Deep South, or the daily terror that haunts women in Delhi, both reveal a deeper truth. A realisation that the fears which grip us most are not those caused by the supernatural, but those woven into the fabric of the real. What's even more unsettling and profoundly revealing is how both works suggest that for the marginalised to claim power, they must first inhabit the very skin of their oppressors. It is only through possession, by becoming like them, speaking like them, behaving like them, that they are finally seen. But in that transformation, we do not transcend them. We become them. Shared post on Time Also Read | Khauf review: Psychological horror show digs deep, builds dread There is a deeper, more tragic realisation at play here: when we take up the weapons of the oppressor, we often mistake it for empowerment. We believe we're integrating, rising. But what we're truly doing is allowing their venom to seep into us, their violence to become our reflex, their agenda to dictate our path. We turn on one another. We silence our own. And in that struggle, we begin to lose not just our community, but the clarity of who we were to begin with. So whether it's Stack (Michael B. Jordan) in Sinners or Madhu (Monika Panwar) in Khauf, both are possessed, reshaped into monstrous reflections of those they once feared. And while they do, in time, gain the very power they once longed for, it comes at a steep cost: the loss of love, of tenderness, of self. The horror lies not just in what they become, but in how recognisable that becoming is. It reminds us that our oppressors are, in some way, versions of ourselves we never chose but were forced to emulate. In the end, they do fight back, not to win more power, but to reclaim what was lost in the pursuit of it. Because the wounds we carry are not just reminders of pain. They are, perhaps, the only parts of us that remain uncorrupted. The only parts that still know how to survive. It feels almost poetic that much of this subtextual reckoning is not just written into the narrative, but embedded within the very fabric of craft. In Sinners, it is the sound design that ascends beyond the frame. Ludwig Göransson's score becomes a form of baptism, not in water but in rhythm. In Khauf, Pankaj Kumar's camera moves with an effortless precision, as if mirroring the city itself — restless, yet suffocatingly still when it needs to be. What binds both works is a world-building that feels lived-in, not constructed. In Sinners, it's a town haunted by the ghosts of centuries-old racism — still breathing, still burning — where cultural appropriation wears the mask of reverence. In Khauf, it's a post-Nirbhaya Delhi where nothing has changed except the illusion that something has. A city where every woman's breath teeters between fear and anxiety. In this sense, these are not just stories; they are mirrors held up to a world that, regardless of era, form, or language, has always spoken in the dialect of domination. A world quick to pit the powerless against one another, where women's bodies are never their own, but battlegrounds — claimed, guarded, or destroyed in someone else's name.
