'Kennedy' star Rahul Bhat: 'I feel like I have known Anurag Kashyap from some past life'

From 'Ugly', 'Dobaaraa' to their latest film, 'Kennedy', Rahul Bhat says his and Anurag Kashyap's partnership is built purely on trust.

Bhat transitioned from being a 1990s television heartthrob, courtesy "Heena", to becoming a powerhouse actor, thanks to films like "Ugly", "Section 375", and OTT series, "Black Warrant".

In "Kennedy", which is slated to release on ZEE5 after a delay of three years, Bhat plays a former cop who moonlights as a contract killer.



"Anurag and my relationship is very karmic, something is very strong between us, I feel that I know him from some past life. We have, in fact, spoken about it, that it's a very strange relationship, we have a very strong bond.

"After doing three films, we understand a lot about each other. I trust him a lot as a director and I know I'm in such expert and good hands. It's like when you are flying with a good pilot, you feel you are in good hands, you've to trust the pilot to take you," the actor told PTI in an interview.

Heaping praise on Kashyap, Bhat said he is not only an incredible director but an amazing human being and that's something he believes reflects in the director's films.




"If you are not a good human being, you cannot come out with such interesting ideas, amazing stories, so many circumstances and understanding the human empathy, sympathising with certain characters and also telling the truth at the same time. It's not an easy job."

Bhat garnered wide acclaim for his work in the 2013 film, "Ugly", which turned out to be his breakout performance. In the film, he played a struggling actor searching for his missing daughter. The actor believes "Kennedy" is one step ahead in terms of the darkness at the centre of the story.

"'Kennedy' is 'Ugly' on steroids. 'Ugly' is nothing in front of what 'Kennedy' is, 'Ugly' is Kennedy's child, and that Rahul Varshney of 'Ugly' is not close to Uday Shetty. Uday Shetty will pick him up and throw him somewhere, in terms of everything, emotions, depression, the kind of darkness, and every catharsis that Kennedy has gone through. 'Ugly' character is like a chutku (baby) in front of him," he said.

"Kennedy" features Bhat in the titular role of an insomniac ex-cop, who finds himself entangled in a corrupt system while seeking redemption.

The actor claims both he and Kashyap were going through personal issues when they collaborated on "Kennedy", and the film became an outlet to express their pain and anger.

To get into the skin of his character, Bhat pushed himself to the extreme and said he remained awake for more than a week and even worked for 15 to 16-hours a day.

He recalled being the first to arrive and the last to leave, sometimes being whisked away in a camera car immediately after pack-up so the director could capture his genuine, sleep-deprived exhaustion while driving.

"I had not slept for at least 10 days for that scene before the climax. I was so sleepy when that scene was happening, I was like, 'Oh God. Am I going to fall asleep?' I was struggling but the whole thing really worked out. When you are doing something good, God also conspires to make it happen, and it happened somehow. I don't think we could have made this film now."

Given the international acclaim "Kennedy" received at prestigious festivals like Cannes, Bhat is quite hopeful about his future in the film industry.

"With the kind of cinema that is happening right now, I think I'll have good chances but these things are not in my hands. Every time I go on set, I tell myself, this is my best and I've to outdo myself as that is in my hands.

"But what will happen tomorrow, whether directors will get interested in me and say, 'Oh my God, he's a good actor' or producers will say, 'Let's take him', that is up to them, God, and destiny. But what happens in life is destiny, and how it happens is effort."

"Kennedy", also starring Sunny Leone, Mohit Takalkar and Abhilash Thapliyal among others, is set to stream on ZEE5 on February 20.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”