Sudhir Mishra: Anurag Kashyap is representative of Indian cinema abroad

Sunny Leone, Anurag Kashyap and Rahul Bhat

An Anurag Kashyap movie has become something of a staple in the Cannes Film Festival. Over the years, the filmmaker has taken Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), Ugly (2014) and Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) to the prestigious festival. In the small hours of Thursday, his latest offering, Kennedy, had its première at the ongoing film gala, as part of the Midnight Screenings section.

Sudhir Mishra

Filmmaker-friend Sudhir Mishra, who attended the screening at the Grand Lumiere Theatre, says he felt like a "proud elder brother" as the neo-noir crime thriller - starring Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone - received a seven-minute standing ovation. "If you read Kashyap's interviews about Kennedy, you will realise that he mentions taking the ideas from the stories I told him. So, he has graciously dedicated the film to me, and given me the first credit. The show ran to a full house even though it was a late-night screening. I felt proud as everybody stood and clapped when the film got over at 3 am," he shares.

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Rahul Bhat

To Mishra, the film's resounding success is a marker of Kashyap's evolution as a filmmaker. He adds, "I've known him since he first came to my brother's [Sudhanshu] office in 1994. Today, I see how far he has come. If anybody is known as a representative of Indian cinema abroad, it is Kashyap."

Mishra adds, "Anybody else who got that kind of reception would be cocky, but he is shy, almost as if he cannot believe it's happening."

Kennedy tells the story of an insomniac cop who turns assassin. After Ugly, having his second film premièring at Cannes was an emotional moment for leading man Bhat. "I feel blessed, honoured and grateful. This is what the manifestation of a dream looks like," he says. Independent film critic Sucharita Tyagi says the film left the audience teary-eyed. Heaping praise on Bhat, she says, "Despite Rahul's face being hidden behind a mask, his embodiment of the character is the film's strength. It marks Anurag's return to form."

Also Read: Cannes 2023: Sunny Leone walks the red carpet at premiere of 'Kennedy' in a striking metallic copper gown