Kennedy Review:  Extremely Dark, Slow-Paced, and Lacking Thrill

By Shantiswaroop Tripathi

• Rating: 1.5 Stars
• Producers: Umesh Bansal, Ranjan Singh, Akshay Thakker and Kabir Ahuja
• Writer-Director: Anurag Kashyap
• Cast: Rahul Bhat, Sunny Leone, Aamir Dalvi, Mohit Takalkar, Abhilash Thapliyal, Srikant Yadav, Sandeep Rawal, Shivam Kothari and others
• Duration: 2 hours 29 minutes
• Streaming on: ZEE5 (from 20 February)

Premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Kennedy, which portrays the hollowness of the system, failed to secure a theatrical release even after three years. It is finally streaming on ZEE5. The film carries the signature dark tone of Anurag Kashyap’s earlier works, with deeply broken characters. However, despite its darkness, the thrill factor is missing. This time, the writing is weak, and the film feels unnecessarily long; it clearly needed tighter editing.

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Story

Set during the COVID-19 lockdown, the film revolves around former police officer Uday Shetty (Rahul Bhat), who is officially dead for the world. Living under the alias “Kennedy,” he works as a premium taxi driver and a hitman for Police Commissioner Rashid Khan (Mohit Takalkar), who allegedly secured his position through a ₹200 crore bribe. Rashid aims to recover and multiply his investment within two years by extorting money through his subordinates, including Uday and Kale, even orchestrating murders to do so.

Uday carries out killings in dark nights at Rashid’s command and even executes a bomb blast near a hotel. Meanwhile, he is searching for gangster Salim (Aamir Dalvi), who is equally hunting him. Rashid manipulates both men, keeping each in the dark while staying in contact with them.

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Uday Shetty, aka Kennedy, has a painful past that fuels his sole motive—revenge against Salim. Amidst this violent world, Charlie (Sunny Leone) enters his life. The question remains: who ultimately succeeds in achieving their goal?

Review

After watching the nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long Kennedy, it becomes clear why it did not receive a theatrical release. The film attempts to depict the moral decline within the police force and the questionable actions during the pandemic period. However, there is nothing fresh either in storytelling or in the execution of scenes.

Apart from Uday Shetty, no character is properly developed. The weak writing fails to give depth or meaningful arcs to the supporting cast. Kashyap also takes satirical digs at government-led pandemic initiatives like clapping or mask campaigns.

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The film begins intriguingly, with Uday introducing himself and casually admitting to numerous murders at Rashid’s behest. The opening sequence, set to Tchaikovsky’s music, shows him executing his first target with electrifying swiftness and a blank expression. A powerful track by Aamir Aziz and Boyblanck sets the mood effectively. Unfortunately, the screenplay soon loses direction, dragging at a painfully slow pace that leaves the audience wondering why they are still watching.

Performances

Rahul Bhat carries the film entirely on his shoulders. He effectively portrays both the wounded soul and the ruthless killer through subtle expressions, especially through his eyes. Mohit Takalkar, as Rashid Khan, is limited to issuing repetitive commands to extort or eliminate targets. Sunny Leone’s talent is largely wasted in the role of Charlie. Aamir Dalvi’s character feels minor and underwritten, raising questions about its necessity.

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