Khauf (transl. Fear) is a 2025 Indian Hindi -language horror thriller [1] television series written by Smita Singh and directed by Pankaj Kumar and Surya Balakrishnan. [2][3] Produced under Matchbox Shots, starring Monika Panwar, Rajat Kapoor, Abhishek Chauhan, Geetanjali Kulkarni and Shilpa Shukla. [4] The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 18 April 2025. [5] The series is a partial and unofficial remake of the South Korean psychological horror series, Strangers from Hell. Monika was born and brought up in Tehri Garhwal, which is a district in the state of Uttarakhand, in North India. While pursuing her graduation at Punjab University in Chandigarh, Monika got introduced to dramatics through the theatrical plays being performed in her college. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, Monika Panwar openly discussed her preparations for portraying a surrogate in Dukaan, her five-year journey as an actor, receiving praise from Aamir Khan, and the challenges within the film industry. Monika Panwar is an Indian actress. She is best known for playing the character of ‘Gudiya’ in the Netflix series ‘Jamtara- Sabka Number Ayega’ (2020).
