Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Rahul Bhat, Sunny Leone, Abhilash Thapliyal, Megha Burman, Shrikant Yadav
Rating: 3 stars
Think Anurag Kashyap and you know that you’re in for a ride filled with darkness and desperation with generous sprinklers of humour thrown in the mix, somewhere in between. His latest directorial Kennedy, which has been enjoying a glorious festival run across the globe, received its Indian premiere twice at the recently concluded edition of the Jio MAMI Film Festival 2023 in Mumbai. With his last two releases Dobaara and Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat failing at the box-office, Kennedy is a shot at some much-needed redemption for the filmmaker. Does the film stand up to its hype? Well, I found my answer through the loud applause and cheering witnessed during the second screening of the film at MAMI.
Uday Shetty aka Kennedy (Rahul Bhat) is a former police officer, who’s now an assassin on hire for the Police Commissioner of Mumbai. He is resentful of his life following a traumatic incident that left him disgraced in front of his personal and professional front. In the wee hours of a night during the pandemic, Shetty has a mission to accomplish and come clean in front of his conscience. But another plan is also being hatched laying the bait for Shetty to be trapped. Will he overcome his situation? Or will he take the fall?
Kashyap’s thriller is nicely peppered with clap-trap humour that mines laughs from routine observations about the socio-political environment in the country. The dialogues are sharp and effective and despite being seemingly subliminal, you can instantly pick the references. Kashyap is brazen and unabashed in his language and treatment and that explains why it elicited the aforementioned applause from the audience. From capitalists being addressed as Bade Papa to a hapless citizen being asked if he lit lamps or banged plates during the lockdown, there is plenty to chuckle about in this thriller.
The same however, cannot be said about the film’s plot which continues to wander in diverse directions. Cinephiles, who’ve largely admired Kashyap’s films, will vouch for his guilty indulgences but with Kennedy, a seemingly simple story on paper, is unnecessarily elongated with situations that could’ve been trimmed. As viewers, you’re bound to feel disconnected more than once from the film and in the meanwhile, you’re framing your own theories about its final act. Which is why by the time the climax arrives, it doesn’t particularly draw out the expected reaction from your end.
It is entirely left upto the actors to keep Kashyap’s shaky ship stable. Bhat completely surrenders himself into playing the titular role. He is left to communicate with his face when there isn’t enough dialogue allotted to him and the actor does a stellar job. Can we see more of him at the movies, please? Sunny Leone stars as Charlie, who may appear ornamental in the film but her scenes with Bhat prove otherwise. The film is supported further with lasting impressions by the supporting cast including a fabulous Shrikant Yadav, Megha Burman, Abhilash Thapliyal and Mohit Takalkar.
If you overlook Kashyap’s forgivable indulgences, Kennedy is a joy-ride. This is a film, which requires multiple viewings to eventually find acceptance and semblance.
