Sunny Leone on her protective, ‘mama bear’ bond with Anurag Kashyap
3 min readMumbaiFeb 18, 2026 05:31 PM IST
Kennedy, directed by Anurag Kashyap, is finally set for release this Friday on Zee-5, nearly three years after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The film can be read as an exploration of existential crisis, centered on a hitman navigating a deeply personal and morally fractured terrain. It features a powerful lead performance by Rahul Bhatt, alongside an equally surreal turn by Sunny Leone, who plays the mysterious and emotionally troubled Charlie. Ever since it was announced that Kashyap would be teaming up with Sunny, the project generated significant buzz. Many were curious to see what kind of performance the acclaimed auteur would draw from her.
In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, the actress opened up about the process and the pressure she felt working with such a renowned filmmaker. “First of all, I was extremely nervous. I wanted to do a good job and make him proud, make him feel like it was the correct decision, the right choice to choose me. We had workshops, we had readings, and Anurag just makes you feel so comfortable by the time you’re on set that it wasn’t so difficult. And there were a lot of things, I was making up stories in my own mind about the character because I didn’t get the whole script. I only got my scenes, so I created my own little backstory. And I’m sure it was just as messed up as Charlie’s real backstory.”
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In the same conversation, Sunny also revealed how, over time, she and Kashyap formed an intimate and trusting bond. She spoke about growing protectiveness she felt towards him, almost like a sister figure. “You know, there are certain moments where I look at him and I think he’s like Superman, someone so loved within the film fraternity, someone you only wish you could work with. And then some of our conversations were so human and so personal that I’d find myself going, ‘What’s happening? Are you okay? What’s going on?’ I’m naturally a fixer, a bit of a mama bear, because I have three kids, a dog, a bunch of fish, and a husband. There are so many things you want to nurture, and that’s just my nature.”
Watch the interview with the cast of Kennedy here:
She further added: “With him, you might look at him and have one perception, but he’s actually just a gigantic teddy bear, someone you want to squish, hug, keep safe, keep away from all the negativity and just nurture him.”
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