Anurag Kashyap's Kennedy will finally release in India, but directly on OTT.
Despite clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the film was never released in theatres in India.
The neo-noir crime thriller stars Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone.
Kennedy OTT release date update: Anurag Kashyap's highly anticipated film will finally release in India, but directly on OTT. The neo-noir crime thriller, starring Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone, earned praise and critical acclaim at several international film festivals and received a 7-minute standing ovation at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. It was screened under the midnight screening section.
The film received clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), but was never released in India due to the financial turmoil at ZEE Studios. Now, after three years, it is heading for OTT release.
Anurag Kashyap confirms Kennedy OTT release
Kennedy will premiere on Zee5 soon. However, the release date is yet to be announced. Reports claim that it will hit the OTT space on February 20, 2026.
On Saturday night, Kashyap shared the trailer of the film on his Instagram handle and wrote, "Finally our labour of love, angst and all things in between “Kennedy” is coming home after travelling the world on @zee5 .All I can say is I am grateful for having been able to make this film , my team , my producers , my Studio and at the end of the day - jab jab Jo Jo hona hai tab tab so so hota hai . 🤞(sic)."
Why Kennedy's release delayed in India
Earlier in an interview with The Hindu, while speaking about the delay, and the setbacks, Kashyap said, “Kennedy is locked and has been cleared by the censors. But ZEE has lost a lot of money on the recent films they released. And all the people who produced the film have left the company.”
The Gangs of Wasseypur director also revealed that he wrote a script for Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, and was planning to make it with longtime collaborator and cinematographer Rajeev Ravi as the director. As the project didn't take off, Kashyap revamped the narrative, which finally shaped into Kennedy.
“The central character of Kennedy, an undercover cop named Uday Shetty, has stayed with me for a long time. It was narrated to me by Sudhir Mishra. There was actually one such man in the Mumbai force. In fact, I have a sequel web series in mind where the character survives the events of Kennedy,” he shared.
Apart from Cannes, the film was screened at the Sydney Film Festival, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea), Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (Switzerland), the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, London Indian Film Festival, and others.
