Kennedy is darker than what Anurag Kashyap explored in Ugly, says actor Rahul Bhat who believes his role of a cop-turned-assassin is the director's version of an "angry middle-aged man".
The upcoming noirish thriller, set for Cannes premiere later this month, follows the titular character working for a corrupt police force with scores to settle. It marks Kashyap and Bhatt's third collaboration.
"There was once a time when Salim-Javed gave us the angry young man. And this is Anurag Kashyap's angry middle-aged man," Bhat told PTI in an interview, referring to Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan's interpretation of the angry young man in films such as Deewar, Trishul, Sholay, and Shakti, fronted by Amitabh Bachchan.
With Kennedy, Kashyap is returning to the festival where he previously presented titles such as Raman Raghav 2.0, Ugly, Bombay Talkies, and the two-part gangster drama Gangs of Wasseypur.
Bhat said Kashyap's Kennedy has "a lot of layering".
"Ugly is a kid in front of Kennedy when it comes to darkness and violence. This movie is something else. It's more of a psychological and internal journey. Of course, it makes a social commentary and has so many things to say. But the story moves fast and I hope it'll keep people engaged." When Kashyap sent the script, the actor said he felt overwhelmed that the filmmaker considered him for the main part.
"I was so emotionally charged that I could not stop myself from crying. I find myself very lucky that a director of the caliber of Anurag Kashyap thinks that I can pull off characters like these, which are so complex," he said.
Bhat said his character is at "another level" of human nature.
"Kennedy is angry, but he's calm. He is violent but quiet. He looks as if he's very intelligent and understands things, but he's dumb at the same time. However, one thing that he knows well is how to kill. He's a killing machine," he said.
The model-turned-actor, who was initially famous for his work in the TV show Heena and movies such as Yeh Mohabbat Hai and Nayee Padosan, found a career turnaround with Kashyap's Ugly.
The 45-year-old described Kashyap as a simple man with a mind of a "genius".
"The amount of knowledge this man has is unbelievable. He knows cinema so well and has an innate talent. I feel that everybody understands that he's a genius. But he is also a simple-minded guy, which helps his talent somewhere," Bhat said.
Kennedy will have its world premiere under the Midnight Screenings segment at Cannes. The film's premiere at the prestigious film gala will be a moment that Bhat said he looks forward to cherishing.
"Ugly was also screened at Cannes, which was very special. But this time, we are part of the official selection and we're going to walk the red carpet. The movie is going to be shown in their main theatre. I feel it's once in a lifetime kind of an experience for any actor. It's a great feeling."
The Cannes Film Festival runs from May 16 to 27.
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