Portraying complex, morally conflicted characters often comes at a cost, and for Rahul Bhat, who brought Kennedy to life on screen, the journey was anything but easy. In a recent interaction, he spoke candidly about the emotional and psychological demands of the role, describing it as one of the most taxing experiences of his career.
When asked whether any particular scene left him physically or mentally exhausted, the actor admitted that it was the internal conflict of the character that weighed heavily on him. “There was a stretch during the night sequences where Kennedy is completely unravelling internally while still having to appear outwardly controlled. That duality was mentally exhausting more than physically demanding. Holding chaos within while maintaining composure takes a real toll. Overall, it wasn’t an easy experience for me, but once I truly understood the character, I was able to carry it through,” he shared.
The challenge was not just in the emotional depth but also in the circumstances surrounding the shoot. Recalling the first scene he filmed as Kennedy, the actor revealed that it was set at a crowded junction designed to reflect the tense atmosphere of the COVID period. “The first scene I shot was at a very busy junction, and we had to recreate the whole COVID atmosphere – wearing masks, controlled chaos, people moving with that underlying tension. It was not easy at all. Managing the crowd, the restrictions, and still staying truthful to the moment was quite challenging. There was also a certain unpredictability to it because it was the first time I was really getting hold of this character. Although I had spent a lot of time with Kennedy and had prepared extensively, there’s always a flutter in the stomach when you face the camera for the very first time as a character,” he said.
However, it was the darker stretches of the narrative that left the deepest impact on him. The actor admitted that stepping into Kennedy’s psyche required tapping into intense emotional spaces, some of which lingered long after the camera stopped rolling. Bhat continued, “Every moment with this character was dark – tapping into his isolation, moral decay, and emotional numbness. There were times when I had to sit alone after takes just to recalibrate, because it lingers long after ‘cut’. One sequence that was especially disturbing was the killing spree, where he goes on killing everyone in that house and even in the locality. And of course, the climax was something that really pushed me emotionally.”
With such revelations, it’s evident that bringing Kennedy to life demanded more than just performance for Rahul Bhat as it required quite a bit of emotional endurance. The actor’s reflections offer a glimpse into the psychological weight actors often carry while portraying characters who operate in morally grey, and at times, deeply disturbing spaces.
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