Bhay: A Paranormal Horror

Watched the TV series Bhay :  The Gaurav Tiwari Mystery , on Amazon MX Player , released on 12 December 2025. The series, directed by Robbie Grewal , written by Arshad Syed , produced by Prabhleen Sandhu stars actors like Karan Tacker, Kalki Koechlin, Saloni Batra, Danish Sood among others. The series tried to find the answer to the question, who killed Gaurav Tiwari , the renowned Indian paranormal investigator and founder of Indian Paranormal society (IPS), who died young, under mysterious circumstances. Though police claim it was a suicide, his fans, followers and people who believe in the world of spirits, parapsychologists, paranormal investigators believe that he was killed by a vengeance seeking spirit. There is more to the series than horror. The series is also a warm depiction of the man Gaurav Trivedi -- his achievements and failures, glory and frustration, hope and dismay, fearlessness and fear-- the fear of a person who has the knowledge of his , his family's and friends' impending death. His desperation to protect his co-workers and family from harm adds poignancy to the drama, and makes his character not pathetic, but heroic. His other traits the series highlights are his warmth, patience, resilience, sense of responsibility, selfless service to the distressed, integrity. He could have earned both fame and money outright by using his pursuits and experience for materialistic benefits, but he never gave up his ethics. 

Though the series started as a documentary, and like a documentary included clippings from real cases of Gaurav Trivedi like the Manori Haunting House investigation, Karkardooma Court investigation in Delhi, Haunting Basement Parking case in Ahmedabad, it is a paranormal horror. However, the Ghosts here are not to give you sleepless nights and will not make you scream out in fear. Their presence, or the feeling of their presence only makes you feel creepy and uneasy, although their sudden appearance, which is often used in the drama as if to jolt you out of your complacency, brings you back on your toes. However, that effect too is sheerly momentary. The ghosts are mostly harmless. 

The underlying suspense too is not too intense, though it is absorbing. Even the music used to build up the suspense is not too loud , harsh and dreary. The background music is somewhat cold, sombre and mystical, as a gregorian chant prayer in a gothic cathedral, when the subject is approaching the spirit, or while suggesting some suspense; culminating in a flat, short, abrupt shriek. The music justifies Gaurav Trivedi's message to the spirit, “ I come in peace”. Simple sounds like the creek and bang of the door opening or closing, the click of the switch when it is switched on-- gives a familiar ambience to the drama, and in the way psychologically draws the viewer into the drama, such that he feels that he is an intangible part of the drama itself.

Everyone acted very naturally and quite adeptly in the series. Even minor characters acted praiseworthily. For example , Disha, the deceiving wife, played by Greeshma Sridhar , was overtly explicit in her fear, guilt, remorse, concern . Kalki Koechlin ,who played the role of Irene Venkat , a journalist , an author and a bereaved girlfriend, haunted by the emotion of guilt , was as stunning as usual in her acting. Karan Tacker, as Gaurav Trivedi, won hearts through his quiet composure.

There was not even a streak of opulence in the costumes or setting. You feel as if you are watching something happening next door. This is how the director weaves empathy for Gaurav Trivedi, and despite the humble plot, we find ourselves binge watching all the episodes in order to know the truth behind the untimely demise of our endearing next door guy. The last 2 episodes, where lie the twist of the drama, are especially breathtaking. The last episode especially is awful. It tactfully transcends the drama from the genre of horror to thriller .

The filmmaker has cleverly introduced a parallel theme during the third episode with a lot of purpose. It hastens the pace of the drama and helps the series come to an interesting conclusion by offering a feasible reason behind Gaurav Trivedi's mysterious death. Moreover, Irene’s transformation from a disbeliever to a believer would otherwise have seemed unfounded and impossible to believe without this infusion-- and Irene is an important character . In the later part of the drama we see Gaurav Trivedi through her eyes. Irene's change for no reason would have married the psychological effect of the drama on the viewers. A few questions here however remain unanswered, like why Manish committed suicide, whether Gaurav's and Manish's deaths were related . All these unanswered questions might perhaps lead to a second season of the series Bhay.

A must watch for all. I would rate the series 4 out of 5