WATCH: Sunny Leone's Manic Laugh in Kennedy

Sunny Leone's Kennedy, directed by Anurag Kashyap, releases on February 20.

After a successful international festival run and a standing ovation at Cannes in 2023, Anurag Kashyap's Kennedy is finally ready for its India debut.

The neo-noir thriller, proudly branded 'undeniably Kashyap', is heading straight to OTT, skipping the big screen.

For a film themed around Mumbai, the announcement was made at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, where Kashyap appeared alongside his lead actors Sunny Leone and Rahul Bhat.

'Kennedy is a film about Mumbai'

"It's been a very, very long wait to put this film out there, and finally, it is coming home. It's a film about Mumbai, and I am glad it's here," Anurag said.

Sunny echoed Anurag's sentiments and added, "This film has travelled the world, but where it deserves to be is where we are right now. Right here, at home, in Mumbai."

The trailer positions Kennedy as a gritty Mumbai noir driven by violence and relentless action. Rahul Bhat plays Uday Shetty, a former cop turned contract killer who leads a double life as a cab driver and a cold-blooded murderer.

Sunny Leone appears as a seductive and mysterious woman named Charlie, who becomes entangled in the chaos.

Sunny Leone to Anurag Kashyap: 'Thank you for pushing me outside my bubble'

Sunny described her role in Kennedy as being far outside her comfort zone and admitted she initially doubted whether she could pull it off.

"I created a lot of stories in my head, but it was his guidance and the way he explained everything he wanted that helped me," she said, looking at Anurag. "Thank you for pushing me outside my bubble. You are absolutely amazing at what you do."

Her character Charlie has a peculiar way of laughing, Sunny added, something she performed so often during filming that she can now burst into the laugh instantly without feeling shy or embarrassed.

WATCH: Sunny Leone shows off her manic laugh in Kennedy

Rahul Bhat, who reunites with Kashyap after Ugly, said he underwent rigorous physical transformation to play the titular role. The actor spent nearly seven months in preparation, losing and gaining weight to inhabit the character.

WATCH: How Rahul Bhat gained 25 kg for Kennedy

Anurag said Kennedy is a personal character he wrote in a single night during the Covid lockdown.

"This character has been with me for a very long time. I borrowed it from Sudhir Mishra," Anurag said. "It was during lockdown, I was going through a lot. My daughter had moved out. It was everything that was happening around me and bothering me. It is one of those films that poured out in a night."

WATCH: Anurag Kashyap on Mumbai and loneliness

Video: Viral Bhayani

Kennedy streams on Z5 from February 20.