Rahul Bhat immersed himself in Kennedy for months, breaking down during the climax. In an exclusive interview, he recalls Anurag Kashyap supported him on set, marking a haunting moment of vulnerability. ‘Kennedy’ is streaming on ZEE5.
For Rahul Bhat, the climax of Kennedy was not just another emotionally demanding scene, it became a moment of complete emotional surrender. Bhat had internalised Uday Shetty aka Kennedy for months before the shoot had even begun. But, when one plays a character as silent, and dark as Kennedy, it is bound to leave some effect, isn’t it?
For Bhat, it took a lot of effort. Speaking to Firstpost’s Zinia Bandyopadhyay, he says, “
_Kennedy_ hollowed me out. I lived the character for six months before shooting began. It affected me. Some days I was withdrawn, less talkative, more inward.”
Rahul Bhat broke down while shooting the climax of Kennedy
Rahul put his everything for _Kennedy_, and therefore, getting out of the character was just as difficult. “Even after shooting, shedding the rhythm of the character took effort. I had to meditate and consciously cleanse myself from the residue. Those were very tough days,” he recalls.
However, the biggest challenge for him was shooting the climax scene. Recalling the final shoot, the actor reveals that the weight of the character, the psychological stillness, and months of emotional immersion culminated in an unexpected breakdown on set.
“While shooting the climax, I was completely overburdened with emotion. It just went out of control,” Bhat says. “Kennedy doesn’t cry in the film, but I started crying. I don’t know how or why it happened. The stillness of the moment was so intense that my eyes were still, but tears were just rolling down.”
Director Anurag Kashyap’s silent support
What made the moment even more profound was director Anurag Kashyap’s silent support. As cameras rolled for close-ups, Kashyap stepped away from the monitor and came to sit beside his lead actor.
“I remember Anurag quietly leaving the monitor and sitting next to me, holding my hand while the close-ups were being taken,” Bhat shares. “He was gently caressing my hand, grounding me, because I was completely overwhelmed and breaking down. He couldn’t even touch my back properly since the shots were tight.”
The gesture, small yet deeply human, reflects the emotional intensity of the scene and the trust between actor and director. “He just sat near my feet, holding my hand through those moments,” Bhat adds.
For an actor who had lived inside Kennedy’s psyche for months, the climax became a release of everything the character suppressed- a rare moment where emotional control gave way to vulnerability.
“It was one of those moments where the character and the actor collapse into each other,” Bhat says. “You prepare, you restrain, you internalise, but sometimes the emotional weight simply finds its way out.”
The sequence stands as one of Kennedy’s most haunting moments, not just for viewers, but for the man who lived it frame by frame.
Kennedy is currently streaming on ZEE5. The
film also features Sunny Leone.
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