It took nearly three years for Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy to get a wide release in India. After being screened at the MAMI Film Festival in 2023, the noir thriller finally released on Zee5 on February 20, 2026. However, fans were left a little disappointed when they realised that the streaming version had a number of cuts and deletions, recommended by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Sunny Leone in a still from Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy.Kennedy trimmed by CBFC
Kennedy is a thriller with Rahul Bhat in the titular role, alongside Sunny Leone. The film follows a cop who is presumed dead and now works as a hitman for a corrupt senior police officer. The film deals with his quest for revenge against a gangster outside India, while navigating the corruption and power struggles in Mumbai on his master’s behest.
According to a News 18 report, the CBFC passed Kennedy for release with an A certificate, but only after several cuts. This included muting the curse word ‘motherf*****’, adding an anti-smoking disclaimer during all smoking scenes, and removing a 14-second scene.
Hindustan Times verified that the film also removed references to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump. In the film, a character named Salim is shown to be an associate of Dawood, but all references to Dawood were replaced with ‘Pakistan Don’. Similarly, a dialogue referring to Donald Trump now includes the phrase ‘Pump Trump’.
Kennedy’s journey to India release
Kennedy was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, where it received a standing ovation. In India, it premiered at the MAMI Film Festival in Mumbai later that year. Since then, Kennedy has been showcased at several international film festivals, including the Sydney Film Festival, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea), Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (Switzerland), the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, and the London Indian Film Festival, among others. However, a theatrical release was not forthcoming.
In 2025, it became the only Indian film to be selected for Letterboxd’s first-ever Video Store. “I am happy that finally the film will be available for the general audience to watch in some parts of the world,” Anurag had said at the time.
Eventually, in January, Zee5 announced that the film would be arriving on streaming in India. A trailer was released earlier this month, and the film released on the platform on February 20. Presented by Zee Studios and produced by Good Bad Films, the film stars Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone in lead roles, along with Mohit Takalkar, Abhilash Thapliyal and Megha Burman.