Lights, Camera, Scoop | Anurag Kashyap’s 'Kennedy' to Finally Release in India; February Streaming Debut Locked
The Hollywood Reporter India's weekly column 'Lights, Camera, Scoop' unravels the behind-the-scenes madness of the big Bollywood machinery.
After a globe-trotting festival run and sustained international buzz, Anurag Kashyap’s much-awaited feature Kennedy is finally coming home. The neo-noir film, which premiered at Cannes in 2023 and has since remained one of the filmmaker’s most talked-about titles, is set for an India streaming debut in February, THR India has learnt.
While an official announcement around the release date and streaming partner is imminent, industry chatter suggests the film will finally get the wide platform it has long been tipped for, after travelling to over 30 film festivals across more than a dozen countries.
Kennedy had made history in December last year as the only Indian title selected for the launch lineup of the Letterboxd Video Store. “The response there was phenomenal and underscored the sustained curiosity around the film,” a source tells THR India. “The pieces are now falling into place for a big India launch.”
Starring Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone, Kennedy is produced by Ranjan Singh, Good Bad Films and Zee Studios. Shot largely at night across Mumbai over an intense 30-day schedule, the film follows an insomniac ex-cop, presumed dead, who continues to work for a corrupt system while seeking redemption.
Kennedy, part of the Mumbai noir Kashyap films like Black Friday, Ugly and Raman Raghav 2.0, had its India premiere at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in 2023, where it received a thunderous response leading to a standing ovation.
After its Cannes and MAMI debut, the film was screened at the Sydney International Film Festival (Australia), Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea), Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (Switzerland), MOTELX - Lisbon International Horror Film Festival and Indie Meme Film Festival (Austin, Texas), among others.
Kashyap's last directorial was the two-parter Nishaanchi. The filmmaker will also have another release this year: Bobby Deol-led crime thriller Bandar, which debuted at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.