After winning hearts and acclaim at several international film festivals, Anurag Kashyap's Kennedy (2023) will finally see the light of day on February 20 on Zee5.
Headlined by Rahul Bhat, the thriller also stars Sunny Leone, Mohit Takalkar, and Abhilash Thapliyal, among others, in pivotal roles.
In this interview, Rahul Bhat opened up about his character, his bond with Kashyap, his upcoming projects and more.
Following its Cannes premiere in 2023, Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy screened at numerous global and Indian film festivals, including the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), Sydney Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, Kolkata International Film Festival and Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea), among others. It also received a thunderous response at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Even after making waves at the international film circuit and receiving an overwhelming response from the critics and global audiences, the film’s release date was in limbo due to financial hurdles. But after three years of wait, Kennedy is making its way to OTT. It is set to premiere on Zee5 on February 20, 2026.
Set in Mumbai, Kennedy is a neo-noir thriller that follows Uday Shetty aka ‘Kennedy’ (Rahul Bhat), a former cop turned contract killer, leading a dual life—a cab driver by day and killer by night. He operates as a contract killer for corrupt Police Commissioner Rasheed Khan (Mohit Takalkar). Haunted by his own personal loss, Kennedy chases truth and revenge and seeks redemption. With Kennedy, Kashyap is back with his signature noir storytelling and layered characters.
In a freewheeling conversation with Garima Das for Outlook, Rahul Bhat reflects on Kennedy’s journey, the preparations that went behind getting into the skin of the character, his bond with Kashyap, upcoming projects and more. Edited excerpts:
It took three years for Kennedy to see the light of day. What are your emotions currently, because we have seen you consistently urging for the film's release?
Der aaye durust aaye (better late than never). One cannot keep crying about something and has to be happy and positive. Now, as it is releasing on a great platform, people will finally get to watch it. As long as the art reaches the people, that is the best day for an artist. I'm quite excited that the film is finally coming.
Kennedy was meant to be released in theatres. Despite the CBFC's clearance, it had to skip the theatrical release and will have a direct-to-OTT release. Was this a tough call for the makers?
What matters is that the film has to reach the audience in the right way, no matter what platform it is on. Of course, one can’t deny that theatre has its own spark. But now, as it is coming to OTT, people should watch it and let’s see how it is received. I am just an actor, and these decisions are taken by studios and producers.
Three years is a long wait for a film. How did you navigate the waiting period? Did it affect you mentally, and how did you handle it?
Generally, one film travels for one season in a film festival, but it’s a miracle that Kennedy kept going and kept travelling to several film festivals. It's unprecedented. So, in that way, we have been lucky that the film received a phenomenal reception in the film festival circuit around the world and remained valid and alive for such a long time.
Portraying these kinds of roles can take a toll on you and can lead to depression. They're very complex roles to play, and an actor has to sacrifice a lot. But I believe it's part and parcel of any actor's life.
How did you prepare yourself for a character like Uday Shetty?
It’s just some hard work (he laughs). It took a toll on me. Uday Shetty was a very complex character and difficult to play. I had to literally give it my all. My close ones and friends were fed up and asked me to get out of it. Even after we finished the film, it remained with me for a month or so because I had to change everything for this character, from my voice to language and also went through a physical transformation. Let’s see whether people like it or not.
You have played morally grey characters earlier as well, in films like Ugly (2013). Do characters with grey moral arcs feel cathartic?
I don’t know why directors write complex and grey roles for me. Yes, it is cathartic, but portraying these kinds of roles can take a toll on your personal life. It’s fun and a pleasure to play such roles, but they have repercussions.
We have seen your long association with Anurag Kashyap. What freedom does he give you? Do you agree he plays an important part in your oeuvre?
Of course, he plays the most important part in my career and the kind of freedom he gives to any actor is unprecedented. He's amazing and gives freedom to actors, which is a blessing. We trust each other a lot, and that’s why perhaps he looks up to me whenever he is writing these complex characters. Our relationship has been very interesting and hopefully remains the same. We will definitely work together on more projects in the future.
You have also been a producer. What do you think is the challenge that comes with making films on sensitive themes in today's political scenario?
The political scenario is never good. If you are making challenging films, it's always challenging, but people have been making such films from the past till now; it's not that we are only doing something amazing. There have been people who have made challenging films at very odd times. So that is also part and parcel of any filmmaker’s job. Sometimes you show the mirror to society by picking the current topics that are liked by some, while others criticise it. This has been happening for long. One can’t stop, but show courage by making such films.
In several interviews, you have spoken about the phenomenal response to Kennedy at the film festival circuit. Are you expecting a similar response on its OTT release?
I hope so. I'm sure that it will be received well because it's a very quintessential Anurag Kashyap film, and his fans will definitely love the film.
You are finally switching gears from grey characters to lighter roles with your upcoming projects. Is this an effort to avoid typecasting?
An actor gets typecast when he plays similar roles. I am not that kind of actor. I am different in Kennedy and other projects. So, I don't think that I will get typecast. This year, there is a film with Dia Mirza that is coming. It’s a love story. It did Lost and Found in Kumbh which is a children's comedy. I did The Wives with Madhur Bhandarkar. So I have many films coming out this year.
Since you have worked across mediums, what do you think changes from feature films to OTT series creatively for an actor like yourself?
In a longer format, you get an opportunity to work more on your character. Otherwise, acting is the same whether it is TV, OTT or film because at the end of the day, you have to be true to the character and be honest. In a longer format, you have more time to justify the character and have a longer arc. You can spend a lot of time on the screen, but in films, you have to quickly come to the point.
