Mumbai, April 10 (IANS) Cinematographer Pankaj Kumar, who is making his directorial debut with the OTT series ‘Khauf’, has shared the reason behind casting actress Monika Panwar in the series.

‘Khauf’ follows the story of Madhu, a young woman who relocates to a bustling city seeking a new beginning, only to encounter a malevolent force in her hostel room that compels her to confront the dark demons of her past.

Talking about the casting for the lead character, Pankaj said, “There were countless discussions on every audition we saw. We went through numerous auditions for each and every character, but the moment we saw Monika’s, it was a unanimous decision, she was our lead”.

He further mentioned, ‘As a director, it was incredibly rewarding to work with actors who embodied their roles so naturally. Their seamless performances made my job much easier. They were just in character and had gone through a process of rehearsal for months, so the bonding was very real, it was very believable because of the rigorous rehearsals they all went through. I consider myself very fortunate that every actor was cast purely on merit, chosen because they truly fit their roles, without any other influencing factors”.

Pankaj is known for his work in ‘Haider’, ‘Tumbaad’, ‘Brahmastra Part One-Shiva’ and ‘Farzi’. The show also stars Rajat Kapoor, Abhishek Chauhan, Geetanjali Kulkarni and Shilpa Shukla in lead roles, the series promises a chilling experience that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

The show also marks Smita Singh’s debut as a creator and showrunner, ‘Khauf’ is executive-produced by Sanjay Routray and Sarita Patil under the Matchbox Shots banner.

Directed by Pankaj Kumar and Surya Balakrishna, ‘Khauf’ is set to stream on Prime Video on April 18.