Anurag Kashyap's 'Kennedy' gets standing ovation at Cannes

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is back at the Cannes Film Festival with his film Kennedy and has once again registered a resounding response like all his earlier films, such as Raman Raghav 2.0, Ugly, Bombay Talkies and the two-part gangster drama Gangs of Wasseypur, which made it to the festival.

Kennedy, which is a police noir film, received a seven-minute standing ovation at The Grand Lumiere Theatre where it was screened under the midnight screening section at 12:15 am on Thursday (France local time).

Kennedy follows the story of an insomniac cop who dwells in different circumstances while looking for redemption. Kashyap was joined at the festival by his friend and frequent collaborator Vikramaditya Motwane, and cast members Rahul Bhatt and Sunny Leone, along with Shariq Patel, Ranjan Singh, Kabir Ahuja, Bhumika Tewari, Neeraj Joshi and Ashima Awasthi.

About the film screened at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Anurag Kashyap said: “It’s always special to show your film to the world at Cannes and it’s a lifetime moment to play at the Grand Theatre Lumiere. Kennedy is a very special film to me and extremely personal too. We have put our heart and soul into making it. The seven-minute long standing ovation from the audience has filled me with gratitude. I am very grateful and excited at the same time.”

Talking about her Cannes debut, Sunny Leone said: “I am thrilled to make my Cannes debut with Kennedy being screened here. It’s only a dream few actors get to live, and I take a lot of pride in being a part of such a prestigious event. I cannot wait to see how the global audience reacts.” The music of the film has been composed by Ashish Narula with Aamir Aziz and Boyblanck.

Rahul Bhatt added: “Kennedy is our labour of love. The film is exciting, it keeps you gripped. I am full of gratitude for everyone, especially Anurag, who made this possible.” The film has been produced by Zee Studios and Ranjan Singh, and Kabir Ahuja of Good Bad Films.