\u201cWe poets in our youth begin in gladness\/But thereof comes in the end despondency and madness.\u201d<\/p>
Page Contents:<\/p>\nToggle<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\nThe rise of neo-noir<\/a><\/li>In the shadows<\/a><\/li>Worth the risk<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\nAnurag Kashyap<\/a>\u2019s Kennedy<\/em> opens with these lines by romantic poet William Wordsworth. There\u2019s a feeling of despondency \u2013 something you can\u2019t put your finger on but you know that what you are about to watch is not for the faint-hearted. The neo-noir thriller, which received a seven-minute-long standing ovation when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2023, deservedly earned praise from critics, with many believing that this is the filmmaker\u2019s return to form. This is high praise for Kashyap, who is known to ask the hard questions and show the truth of reality in its most brutal ways.<\/p>\nNow that the film, starring Rahut Bhat<\/a> and Sunny Leone<\/a>, is headed for a release on Z5 on February 20th, it may be a good time to examine how Kennedy<\/a><\/em> fits neatly into the neo-noir genre and why we have not seen enough of it on our screens.<\/p>\n<\/span>The rise of neo-noir<\/span><\/h2>\nSimply put, the word noir means black in French, emerging from the crime-drama films<\/a> with morally grey characters being made in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. Dark and gritty dialogues, interplay of light and shadows, and a general cynicism towards the world \u2013 a result of the post-World War II paranoia and hopelessness – are some of the tropes employed by films belonging to this genre. In Bollywood, perhaps one of the first films<\/a> to delve into this space was Chetan\u2019s Anand\u2019s Neecha Nagar<\/em> (1946), followed by Guru Dutt\u2019s directorial debut Baazi<\/em> (1951). Other Hindi films<\/a> that continued the trend included Howrah Bridge<\/em> (1958), Ittefaq<\/em> (1969) and Kohraa<\/em> (1964) among others.<\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, with the rise of other genres, particularly Amitabh Bachchan\u2019s Angry Young Man phase, noir seemed to have bidden adieu to Hindi films, until it resurfaced with filmmakers such as Sriram Raghavan, Vishal Bhardwaj and Kashyap himself, delving deeper into the space. <em>Manorama Six Feet Under, Johnny Gaddaar, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/no-smoking\/0-0-nosmoking\">No Smoking<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/raman-raghav-20\/0-0-8143\">Raman Raghav 2.0<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/badlapur\/0-0-movie_1123118342\">Badlapur<\/a>, Being Cyrus, Merry Christmas<\/em> and <em>Khufiya<\/em> are some of the films released during the last two decades that took the genre forward.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_the_shadows\"><\/span>In the shadows<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renowned theatre director and a filmmaker himself, Mohit Takalkar who plays a corrupt Police Commissioner in <em>Kennedy<\/em>, remarks that the prime difference between classic noir and neo-noir, is that while the former dealt with post-war disillusionment and fatalism, the latter is about modern alienation institutional decay and the erosion of moral clarity in a world that screams progress but feels spiritually hollow. \u201c<em>Kennedy<\/em> sits in this newer space where the genre is not being performed but inhabited. The film does not explain its moral universe. It simply presents it and leaves the audience to sit with the unease,\u201d Takalkar says, unearthing the world the film inhabits. For Takalkar, entering <em>Kennedy<\/em> meant entering Anurag Kashyap\u2019s world which is always uncomfortable, morally slippery and unjudged. \u201cHis cinema is gritty not because of surface darkness but because it refuses moral consolation,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back in 2007, Navdeep Singh marked his directorial debut with <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em>, considered by many as one of the finest neo-noir films in Hindi cinema. Starring Abhay Deol and Gul Panag in lead roles, the intriguing and complex thriller dealt with cynical characters driven by their own lusts and greed. The director, who went on to make films such as <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan,<\/em> believes that neo-noir needs to capture a snapshot of society at a point of time and reflect on it. \u201cIt is not just about having a cynical hero and his approach towards life but also trying to capture something about society itself and making a comment on it,\u201d Singh says, adding that he really enjoyed watching <em>Kennedy<\/em>. \u201cIt is a fantastic return to form for Anurag. It was stuck for a long time and it is great that the audience in India will be able to watch it now,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Takalkar is of the view that films belonging to this genre, such as <em>Taxi Driver, Drive or Sin City<\/em>, connect not because of their narrative similarity but because of moral atmosphere. \u201cThese films are less about plot and more about a sustained psychological condition. They place the viewer inside a disturbed consciousness and refuse to offer any relief.<em> Kennedy<\/em> belongs in that global conversation because it commits fully to that condition. It does not localise neo-noir by diluting it. It localises it by allowing Bombay to breathe as a noir city in its own right. The corruption, violence and silence feel systemic rather than sensational. Characters are not seeking redemption. They are negotiating survival within the rot,\u201d Takalkar says, adding that this is precisely what aligns <em>Kennedy<\/em> with the global neo-noir tradition rather than making it a genre exercise.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere are no heroes in a neo-noir. There are only anti-heroes and morally grey characters,\u201d says screenwriter Sudip Sharma, who worked closely with Singh on <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan<\/em>, and is best known for creating the critically-acclaimed neo-noir crime series <em>Paatal Lok<\/em> as well as the gritty Punjabi crime drama <em>Kohrra.<\/em> Some of his favourites from Hollywood include <em>Chinatown, Double Indemnity<\/em> and <em>Vertigo<\/em>. \u201cFrom Indian cinema, <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em> really opened up the genre. Sriram (Raghavan) has done some great work with films such as <em>Johnny Gaddaar, Badlapur <\/em>and<em> Andhadun<\/em>. I am also glad that<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Kennedy<\/em> is coming out; it is a great neo-noir film and I hope it does well,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Worth_the_risk\"><\/span>Worth the risk<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering there are so many films belonging to this genre that have proved to be absolute gamechangers, filmmakers agree that there are still few and far between. It may be that not everyone has the bent of mind required to make a film like that. \u201cI think people who are into noir are themselves cynical,\u201d believes Singh, \u201cThey see through the fa\u00e7ade or maya of the society. It is a tricky space.\u201d Takalkar seconds his viewpoint. \u201cA true neo-noir film requires a director who understands that meaning emerges from absence as much as from action. Performances have to be internalised. Characters feel observed rather than explained. The camera cannot aestheticise violence for pleasure. It must observe it as a symptom of deeper decay,\u201d he explains.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Listing some of the most cutting-edge neo-noir works from world cinema, such as<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Cure by Kiyoshi, Memories of Murder, Only God Forgives <\/em>and<em> The Consequence of Love<\/em>, he says that these films refuse to reassure. \u201cThey allow discomfort to accumulate. That\u2019s the real discipline of neo-noir and also why so few films genuinely succeed in the genre,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the Indian audiences now having the privilege to watch the best of Indian and international cinema at the click of a button, this is perhaps the ideal time for more bold filmmaking. Says Akkshay Rathie, Director, Ashirwad Theatres Pvt Ltd, \u201cAs a market, the Indian audiences are accepting of any and every genre of storytelling. They just need to be given something which is worth their time, money and effort. Look at movies such as <em>Andhadhun, Johnny Gaddaar <\/em>and<em> Dev.D<\/em>. They performed phenomenally well. So, I think the<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>audience has always been ready. The ball\u2019s always been in our court to give them what they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a genre that thrives on the truth of reality, <em>Kennedy<\/em> certainly seems to be a mirror we can no longer afford to look away from. There may be no heroes in a neo-noir, but there is, once again, a filmmaker who isn\u2019t afraid to let us sit in the dark. Welcome back, Mr Kashyap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe poets in our youth begin in gladness\/But thereof comes in the end despondency and madness.\u201d Anurag Kashyap\u2019s Kennedy opens with these lines by romantic poet William Wordsworth. There\u2019s a feeling of despondency \u2013 something you can\u2019t put your finger on but you know that what you are about to watch is not for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":13023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2343],"tags":[2344],"class_list":["post-12956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-z5-exclusive","tag-kennedy"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Kennedy_PF_IN_P4_1920x770_09_02_2026.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Deepali Dhingra","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/deepalidhingra\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Kennedy Reimagines Neo-Noir 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Anurag Kashyap<\/a>\u2019s Kennedy<\/em> opens with these lines by romantic poet William Wordsworth. There\u2019s a feeling of despondency \u2013 something you can\u2019t put your finger on but you know that what you are about to watch is not for the faint-hearted. The neo-noir thriller, which received a seven-minute-long standing ovation when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2023, deservedly earned praise from critics, with many believing that this is the filmmaker\u2019s return to form. This is high praise for Kashyap, who is known to ask the hard questions and show the truth of reality in its most brutal ways.<\/p>\nNow that the film, starring Rahut Bhat<\/a> and Sunny Leone<\/a>, is headed for a release on Z5 on February 20th, it may be a good time to examine how Kennedy<\/a><\/em> fits neatly into the neo-noir genre and why we have not seen enough of it on our screens.<\/p>\n<\/span>The rise of neo-noir<\/span><\/h2>\nSimply put, the word noir means black in French, emerging from the crime-drama films<\/a> with morally grey characters being made in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. Dark and gritty dialogues, interplay of light and shadows, and a general cynicism towards the world \u2013 a result of the post-World War II paranoia and hopelessness – are some of the tropes employed by films belonging to this genre. In Bollywood, perhaps one of the first films<\/a> to delve into this space was Chetan\u2019s Anand\u2019s Neecha Nagar<\/em> (1946), followed by Guru Dutt\u2019s directorial debut Baazi<\/em> (1951). Other Hindi films<\/a> that continued the trend included Howrah Bridge<\/em> (1958), Ittefaq<\/em> (1969) and Kohraa<\/em> (1964) among others.<\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, with the rise of other genres, particularly Amitabh Bachchan\u2019s Angry Young Man phase, noir seemed to have bidden adieu to Hindi films, until it resurfaced with filmmakers such as Sriram Raghavan, Vishal Bhardwaj and Kashyap himself, delving deeper into the space. <em>Manorama Six Feet Under, Johnny Gaddaar, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/no-smoking\/0-0-nosmoking\">No Smoking<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/raman-raghav-20\/0-0-8143\">Raman Raghav 2.0<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/badlapur\/0-0-movie_1123118342\">Badlapur<\/a>, Being Cyrus, Merry Christmas<\/em> and <em>Khufiya<\/em> are some of the films released during the last two decades that took the genre forward.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_the_shadows\"><\/span>In the shadows<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renowned theatre director and a filmmaker himself, Mohit Takalkar who plays a corrupt Police Commissioner in <em>Kennedy<\/em>, remarks that the prime difference between classic noir and neo-noir, is that while the former dealt with post-war disillusionment and fatalism, the latter is about modern alienation institutional decay and the erosion of moral clarity in a world that screams progress but feels spiritually hollow. \u201c<em>Kennedy<\/em> sits in this newer space where the genre is not being performed but inhabited. The film does not explain its moral universe. It simply presents it and leaves the audience to sit with the unease,\u201d Takalkar says, unearthing the world the film inhabits. For Takalkar, entering <em>Kennedy<\/em> meant entering Anurag Kashyap\u2019s world which is always uncomfortable, morally slippery and unjudged. \u201cHis cinema is gritty not because of surface darkness but because it refuses moral consolation,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back in 2007, Navdeep Singh marked his directorial debut with <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em>, considered by many as one of the finest neo-noir films in Hindi cinema. Starring Abhay Deol and Gul Panag in lead roles, the intriguing and complex thriller dealt with cynical characters driven by their own lusts and greed. The director, who went on to make films such as <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan,<\/em> believes that neo-noir needs to capture a snapshot of society at a point of time and reflect on it. \u201cIt is not just about having a cynical hero and his approach towards life but also trying to capture something about society itself and making a comment on it,\u201d Singh says, adding that he really enjoyed watching <em>Kennedy<\/em>. \u201cIt is a fantastic return to form for Anurag. It was stuck for a long time and it is great that the audience in India will be able to watch it now,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Takalkar is of the view that films belonging to this genre, such as <em>Taxi Driver, Drive or Sin City<\/em>, connect not because of their narrative similarity but because of moral atmosphere. \u201cThese films are less about plot and more about a sustained psychological condition. They place the viewer inside a disturbed consciousness and refuse to offer any relief.<em> Kennedy<\/em> belongs in that global conversation because it commits fully to that condition. It does not localise neo-noir by diluting it. It localises it by allowing Bombay to breathe as a noir city in its own right. The corruption, violence and silence feel systemic rather than sensational. Characters are not seeking redemption. They are negotiating survival within the rot,\u201d Takalkar says, adding that this is precisely what aligns <em>Kennedy<\/em> with the global neo-noir tradition rather than making it a genre exercise.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere are no heroes in a neo-noir. There are only anti-heroes and morally grey characters,\u201d says screenwriter Sudip Sharma, who worked closely with Singh on <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan<\/em>, and is best known for creating the critically-acclaimed neo-noir crime series <em>Paatal Lok<\/em> as well as the gritty Punjabi crime drama <em>Kohrra.<\/em> Some of his favourites from Hollywood include <em>Chinatown, Double Indemnity<\/em> and <em>Vertigo<\/em>. \u201cFrom Indian cinema, <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em> really opened up the genre. Sriram (Raghavan) has done some great work with films such as <em>Johnny Gaddaar, Badlapur <\/em>and<em> Andhadun<\/em>. I am also glad that<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Kennedy<\/em> is coming out; it is a great neo-noir film and I hope it does well,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Worth_the_risk\"><\/span>Worth the risk<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering there are so many films belonging to this genre that have proved to be absolute gamechangers, filmmakers agree that there are still few and far between. It may be that not everyone has the bent of mind required to make a film like that. \u201cI think people who are into noir are themselves cynical,\u201d believes Singh, \u201cThey see through the fa\u00e7ade or maya of the society. It is a tricky space.\u201d Takalkar seconds his viewpoint. \u201cA true neo-noir film requires a director who understands that meaning emerges from absence as much as from action. Performances have to be internalised. Characters feel observed rather than explained. The camera cannot aestheticise violence for pleasure. It must observe it as a symptom of deeper decay,\u201d he explains.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Listing some of the most cutting-edge neo-noir works from world cinema, such as<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Cure by Kiyoshi, Memories of Murder, Only God Forgives <\/em>and<em> The Consequence of Love<\/em>, he says that these films refuse to reassure. \u201cThey allow discomfort to accumulate. That\u2019s the real discipline of neo-noir and also why so few films genuinely succeed in the genre,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the Indian audiences now having the privilege to watch the best of Indian and international cinema at the click of a button, this is perhaps the ideal time for more bold filmmaking. Says Akkshay Rathie, Director, Ashirwad Theatres Pvt Ltd, \u201cAs a market, the Indian audiences are accepting of any and every genre of storytelling. They just need to be given something which is worth their time, money and effort. Look at movies such as <em>Andhadhun, Johnny Gaddaar <\/em>and<em> Dev.D<\/em>. They performed phenomenally well. So, I think the<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>audience has always been ready. The ball\u2019s always been in our court to give them what they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a genre that thrives on the truth of reality, <em>Kennedy<\/em> certainly seems to be a mirror we can no longer afford to look away from. There may be no heroes in a neo-noir, but there is, once again, a filmmaker who isn\u2019t afraid to let us sit in the dark. Welcome back, Mr Kashyap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe poets in our youth begin in gladness\/But thereof comes in the end despondency and madness.\u201d Anurag Kashyap\u2019s Kennedy opens with these lines by romantic poet William Wordsworth. There\u2019s a feeling of despondency \u2013 something you can\u2019t put your finger on but you know that what you are about to watch is not for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":13023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2343],"tags":[2344],"class_list":["post-12956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-z5-exclusive","tag-kennedy"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Kennedy_PF_IN_P4_1920x770_09_02_2026.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Deepali Dhingra","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/deepalidhingra\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Kennedy Reimagines Neo-Noir 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Now that the film, starring Rahut Bhat<\/a> and Sunny Leone<\/a>, is headed for a release on Z5 on February 20th, it may be a good time to examine how Kennedy<\/a><\/em> fits neatly into the neo-noir genre and why we have not seen enough of it on our screens.<\/p>\n<\/span>The rise of neo-noir<\/span><\/h2>\nSimply put, the word noir means black in French, emerging from the crime-drama films<\/a> with morally grey characters being made in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. Dark and gritty dialogues, interplay of light and shadows, and a general cynicism towards the world \u2013 a result of the post-World War II paranoia and hopelessness – are some of the tropes employed by films belonging to this genre. In Bollywood, perhaps one of the first films<\/a> to delve into this space was Chetan\u2019s Anand\u2019s Neecha Nagar<\/em> (1946), followed by Guru Dutt\u2019s directorial debut Baazi<\/em> (1951). Other Hindi films<\/a> that continued the trend included Howrah Bridge<\/em> (1958), Ittefaq<\/em> (1969) and Kohraa<\/em> (1964) among others.<\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, with the rise of other genres, particularly Amitabh Bachchan\u2019s Angry Young Man phase, noir seemed to have bidden adieu to Hindi films, until it resurfaced with filmmakers such as Sriram Raghavan, Vishal Bhardwaj and Kashyap himself, delving deeper into the space. <em>Manorama Six Feet Under, Johnny Gaddaar, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/no-smoking\/0-0-nosmoking\">No Smoking<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/raman-raghav-20\/0-0-8143\">Raman Raghav 2.0<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/badlapur\/0-0-movie_1123118342\">Badlapur<\/a>, Being Cyrus, Merry Christmas<\/em> and <em>Khufiya<\/em> are some of the films released during the last two decades that took the genre forward.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_the_shadows\"><\/span>In the shadows<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renowned theatre director and a filmmaker himself, Mohit Takalkar who plays a corrupt Police Commissioner in <em>Kennedy<\/em>, remarks that the prime difference between classic noir and neo-noir, is that while the former dealt with post-war disillusionment and fatalism, the latter is about modern alienation institutional decay and the erosion of moral clarity in a world that screams progress but feels spiritually hollow. \u201c<em>Kennedy<\/em> sits in this newer space where the genre is not being performed but inhabited. The film does not explain its moral universe. It simply presents it and leaves the audience to sit with the unease,\u201d Takalkar says, unearthing the world the film inhabits. For Takalkar, entering <em>Kennedy<\/em> meant entering Anurag Kashyap\u2019s world which is always uncomfortable, morally slippery and unjudged. \u201cHis cinema is gritty not because of surface darkness but because it refuses moral consolation,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back in 2007, Navdeep Singh marked his directorial debut with <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em>, considered by many as one of the finest neo-noir films in Hindi cinema. Starring Abhay Deol and Gul Panag in lead roles, the intriguing and complex thriller dealt with cynical characters driven by their own lusts and greed. The director, who went on to make films such as <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan,<\/em> believes that neo-noir needs to capture a snapshot of society at a point of time and reflect on it. \u201cIt is not just about having a cynical hero and his approach towards life but also trying to capture something about society itself and making a comment on it,\u201d Singh says, adding that he really enjoyed watching <em>Kennedy<\/em>. \u201cIt is a fantastic return to form for Anurag. It was stuck for a long time and it is great that the audience in India will be able to watch it now,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Takalkar is of the view that films belonging to this genre, such as <em>Taxi Driver, Drive or Sin City<\/em>, connect not because of their narrative similarity but because of moral atmosphere. \u201cThese films are less about plot and more about a sustained psychological condition. They place the viewer inside a disturbed consciousness and refuse to offer any relief.<em> Kennedy<\/em> belongs in that global conversation because it commits fully to that condition. It does not localise neo-noir by diluting it. It localises it by allowing Bombay to breathe as a noir city in its own right. The corruption, violence and silence feel systemic rather than sensational. Characters are not seeking redemption. They are negotiating survival within the rot,\u201d Takalkar says, adding that this is precisely what aligns <em>Kennedy<\/em> with the global neo-noir tradition rather than making it a genre exercise.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere are no heroes in a neo-noir. There are only anti-heroes and morally grey characters,\u201d says screenwriter Sudip Sharma, who worked closely with Singh on <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan<\/em>, and is best known for creating the critically-acclaimed neo-noir crime series <em>Paatal Lok<\/em> as well as the gritty Punjabi crime drama <em>Kohrra.<\/em> Some of his favourites from Hollywood include <em>Chinatown, Double Indemnity<\/em> and <em>Vertigo<\/em>. \u201cFrom Indian cinema, <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em> really opened up the genre. Sriram (Raghavan) has done some great work with films such as <em>Johnny Gaddaar, Badlapur <\/em>and<em> Andhadun<\/em>. I am also glad that<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Kennedy<\/em> is coming out; it is a great neo-noir film and I hope it does well,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Worth_the_risk\"><\/span>Worth the risk<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering there are so many films belonging to this genre that have proved to be absolute gamechangers, filmmakers agree that there are still few and far between. It may be that not everyone has the bent of mind required to make a film like that. \u201cI think people who are into noir are themselves cynical,\u201d believes Singh, \u201cThey see through the fa\u00e7ade or maya of the society. It is a tricky space.\u201d Takalkar seconds his viewpoint. \u201cA true neo-noir film requires a director who understands that meaning emerges from absence as much as from action. Performances have to be internalised. Characters feel observed rather than explained. The camera cannot aestheticise violence for pleasure. It must observe it as a symptom of deeper decay,\u201d he explains.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Listing some of the most cutting-edge neo-noir works from world cinema, such as<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Cure by Kiyoshi, Memories of Murder, Only God Forgives <\/em>and<em> The Consequence of Love<\/em>, he says that these films refuse to reassure. \u201cThey allow discomfort to accumulate. That\u2019s the real discipline of neo-noir and also why so few films genuinely succeed in the genre,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the Indian audiences now having the privilege to watch the best of Indian and international cinema at the click of a button, this is perhaps the ideal time for more bold filmmaking. Says Akkshay Rathie, Director, Ashirwad Theatres Pvt Ltd, \u201cAs a market, the Indian audiences are accepting of any and every genre of storytelling. They just need to be given something which is worth their time, money and effort. Look at movies such as <em>Andhadhun, Johnny Gaddaar <\/em>and<em> Dev.D<\/em>. They performed phenomenally well. So, I think the<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>audience has always been ready. The ball\u2019s always been in our court to give them what they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a genre that thrives on the truth of reality, <em>Kennedy<\/em> certainly seems to be a mirror we can no longer afford to look away from. There may be no heroes in a neo-noir, but there is, once again, a filmmaker who isn\u2019t afraid to let us sit in the dark. Welcome back, Mr Kashyap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe poets in our youth begin in gladness\/But thereof comes in the end despondency and madness.\u201d Anurag Kashyap\u2019s Kennedy opens with these lines by romantic poet William Wordsworth. There\u2019s a feeling of despondency \u2013 something you can\u2019t put your finger on but you know that what you are about to watch is not for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":13023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2343],"tags":[2344],"class_list":["post-12956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-z5-exclusive","tag-kennedy"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Kennedy_PF_IN_P4_1920x770_09_02_2026.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Deepali Dhingra","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/deepalidhingra\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Kennedy Reimagines Neo-Noir 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Simply put, the word noir means black in French, emerging from the crime-drama films<\/a> with morally grey characters being made in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. Dark and gritty dialogues, interplay of light and shadows, and a general cynicism towards the world \u2013 a result of the post-World War II paranoia and hopelessness – are some of the tropes employed by films belonging to this genre. In Bollywood, perhaps one of the first films<\/a> to delve into this space was Chetan\u2019s Anand\u2019s Neecha Nagar<\/em> (1946), followed by Guru Dutt\u2019s directorial debut Baazi<\/em> (1951). Other Hindi films<\/a> that continued the trend included Howrah Bridge<\/em> (1958), Ittefaq<\/em> (1969) and Kohraa<\/em> (1964) among others.<\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, with the rise of other genres, particularly Amitabh Bachchan\u2019s Angry Young Man phase, noir seemed to have bidden adieu to Hindi films, until it resurfaced with filmmakers such as Sriram Raghavan, Vishal Bhardwaj and Kashyap himself, delving deeper into the space. <em>Manorama Six Feet Under, Johnny Gaddaar, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/no-smoking\/0-0-nosmoking\">No Smoking<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/raman-raghav-20\/0-0-8143\">Raman Raghav 2.0<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/badlapur\/0-0-movie_1123118342\">Badlapur<\/a>, Being Cyrus, Merry Christmas<\/em> and <em>Khufiya<\/em> are some of the films released during the last two decades that took the genre forward.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_the_shadows\"><\/span>In the shadows<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renowned theatre director and a filmmaker himself, Mohit Takalkar who plays a corrupt Police Commissioner in <em>Kennedy<\/em>, remarks that the prime difference between classic noir and neo-noir, is that while the former dealt with post-war disillusionment and fatalism, the latter is about modern alienation institutional decay and the erosion of moral clarity in a world that screams progress but feels spiritually hollow. \u201c<em>Kennedy<\/em> sits in this newer space where the genre is not being performed but inhabited. The film does not explain its moral universe. It simply presents it and leaves the audience to sit with the unease,\u201d Takalkar says, unearthing the world the film inhabits. For Takalkar, entering <em>Kennedy<\/em> meant entering Anurag Kashyap\u2019s world which is always uncomfortable, morally slippery and unjudged. \u201cHis cinema is gritty not because of surface darkness but because it refuses moral consolation,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back in 2007, Navdeep Singh marked his directorial debut with <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em>, considered by many as one of the finest neo-noir films in Hindi cinema. Starring Abhay Deol and Gul Panag in lead roles, the intriguing and complex thriller dealt with cynical characters driven by their own lusts and greed. The director, who went on to make films such as <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan,<\/em> believes that neo-noir needs to capture a snapshot of society at a point of time and reflect on it. \u201cIt is not just about having a cynical hero and his approach towards life but also trying to capture something about society itself and making a comment on it,\u201d Singh says, adding that he really enjoyed watching <em>Kennedy<\/em>. \u201cIt is a fantastic return to form for Anurag. It was stuck for a long time and it is great that the audience in India will be able to watch it now,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Takalkar is of the view that films belonging to this genre, such as <em>Taxi Driver, Drive or Sin City<\/em>, connect not because of their narrative similarity but because of moral atmosphere. \u201cThese films are less about plot and more about a sustained psychological condition. They place the viewer inside a disturbed consciousness and refuse to offer any relief.<em> Kennedy<\/em> belongs in that global conversation because it commits fully to that condition. It does not localise neo-noir by diluting it. It localises it by allowing Bombay to breathe as a noir city in its own right. The corruption, violence and silence feel systemic rather than sensational. Characters are not seeking redemption. They are negotiating survival within the rot,\u201d Takalkar says, adding that this is precisely what aligns <em>Kennedy<\/em> with the global neo-noir tradition rather than making it a genre exercise.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere are no heroes in a neo-noir. There are only anti-heroes and morally grey characters,\u201d says screenwriter Sudip Sharma, who worked closely with Singh on <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan<\/em>, and is best known for creating the critically-acclaimed neo-noir crime series <em>Paatal Lok<\/em> as well as the gritty Punjabi crime drama <em>Kohrra.<\/em> Some of his favourites from Hollywood include <em>Chinatown, Double Indemnity<\/em> and <em>Vertigo<\/em>. \u201cFrom Indian cinema, <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em> really opened up the genre. Sriram (Raghavan) has done some great work with films such as <em>Johnny Gaddaar, Badlapur <\/em>and<em> Andhadun<\/em>. I am also glad that<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Kennedy<\/em> is coming out; it is a great neo-noir film and I hope it does well,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Worth_the_risk\"><\/span>Worth the risk<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering there are so many films belonging to this genre that have proved to be absolute gamechangers, filmmakers agree that there are still few and far between. It may be that not everyone has the bent of mind required to make a film like that. \u201cI think people who are into noir are themselves cynical,\u201d believes Singh, \u201cThey see through the fa\u00e7ade or maya of the society. It is a tricky space.\u201d Takalkar seconds his viewpoint. \u201cA true neo-noir film requires a director who understands that meaning emerges from absence as much as from action. Performances have to be internalised. Characters feel observed rather than explained. The camera cannot aestheticise violence for pleasure. It must observe it as a symptom of deeper decay,\u201d he explains.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Listing some of the most cutting-edge neo-noir works from world cinema, such as<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Cure by Kiyoshi, Memories of Murder, Only God Forgives <\/em>and<em> The Consequence of Love<\/em>, he says that these films refuse to reassure. \u201cThey allow discomfort to accumulate. That\u2019s the real discipline of neo-noir and also why so few films genuinely succeed in the genre,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the Indian audiences now having the privilege to watch the best of Indian and international cinema at the click of a button, this is perhaps the ideal time for more bold filmmaking. Says Akkshay Rathie, Director, Ashirwad Theatres Pvt Ltd, \u201cAs a market, the Indian audiences are accepting of any and every genre of storytelling. They just need to be given something which is worth their time, money and effort. Look at movies such as <em>Andhadhun, Johnny Gaddaar <\/em>and<em> Dev.D<\/em>. They performed phenomenally well. So, I think the<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>audience has always been ready. The ball\u2019s always been in our court to give them what they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a genre that thrives on the truth of reality, <em>Kennedy<\/em> certainly seems to be a mirror we can no longer afford to look away from. There may be no heroes in a neo-noir, but there is, once again, a filmmaker who isn\u2019t afraid to let us sit in the dark. Welcome back, Mr Kashyap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe poets in our youth begin in gladness\/But thereof comes in the end despondency and madness.\u201d Anurag Kashyap\u2019s Kennedy opens with these lines by romantic poet William Wordsworth. There\u2019s a feeling of despondency \u2013 something you can\u2019t put your finger on but you know that what you are about to watch is not for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":13023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2343],"tags":[2344],"class_list":["post-12956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-z5-exclusive","tag-kennedy"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Kennedy_PF_IN_P4_1920x770_09_02_2026.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Deepali Dhingra","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/deepalidhingra\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Kennedy Reimagines Neo-Noir 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<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, with the rise of other genres, particularly Amitabh Bachchan\u2019s Angry Young Man phase, noir seemed to have bidden adieu to Hindi films, until it resurfaced with filmmakers such as Sriram Raghavan, Vishal Bhardwaj and Kashyap himself, delving deeper into the space. <em>Manorama Six Feet Under, Johnny Gaddaar, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/no-smoking\/0-0-nosmoking\">No Smoking<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/raman-raghav-20\/0-0-8143\">Raman Raghav 2.0<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/movies\/details\/badlapur\/0-0-movie_1123118342\">Badlapur<\/a>, Being Cyrus, Merry Christmas<\/em> and <em>Khufiya<\/em> are some of the films released during the last two decades that took the genre forward.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_the_shadows\"><\/span>In the shadows<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renowned theatre director and a filmmaker himself, Mohit Takalkar who plays a corrupt Police Commissioner in <em>Kennedy<\/em>, remarks that the prime difference between classic noir and neo-noir, is that while the former dealt with post-war disillusionment and fatalism, the latter is about modern alienation institutional decay and the erosion of moral clarity in a world that screams progress but feels spiritually hollow. \u201c<em>Kennedy<\/em> sits in this newer space where the genre is not being performed but inhabited. The film does not explain its moral universe. It simply presents it and leaves the audience to sit with the unease,\u201d Takalkar says, unearthing the world the film inhabits. For Takalkar, entering <em>Kennedy<\/em> meant entering Anurag Kashyap\u2019s world which is always uncomfortable, morally slippery and unjudged. \u201cHis cinema is gritty not because of surface darkness but because it refuses moral consolation,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back in 2007, Navdeep Singh marked his directorial debut with <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em>, considered by many as one of the finest neo-noir films in Hindi cinema. Starring Abhay Deol and Gul Panag in lead roles, the intriguing and complex thriller dealt with cynical characters driven by their own lusts and greed. The director, who went on to make films such as <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan,<\/em> believes that neo-noir needs to capture a snapshot of society at a point of time and reflect on it. \u201cIt is not just about having a cynical hero and his approach towards life but also trying to capture something about society itself and making a comment on it,\u201d Singh says, adding that he really enjoyed watching <em>Kennedy<\/em>. \u201cIt is a fantastic return to form for Anurag. It was stuck for a long time and it is great that the audience in India will be able to watch it now,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Takalkar is of the view that films belonging to this genre, such as <em>Taxi Driver, Drive or Sin City<\/em>, connect not because of their narrative similarity but because of moral atmosphere. \u201cThese films are less about plot and more about a sustained psychological condition. They place the viewer inside a disturbed consciousness and refuse to offer any relief.<em> Kennedy<\/em> belongs in that global conversation because it commits fully to that condition. It does not localise neo-noir by diluting it. It localises it by allowing Bombay to breathe as a noir city in its own right. The corruption, violence and silence feel systemic rather than sensational. Characters are not seeking redemption. They are negotiating survival within the rot,\u201d Takalkar says, adding that this is precisely what aligns <em>Kennedy<\/em> with the global neo-noir tradition rather than making it a genre exercise.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere are no heroes in a neo-noir. There are only anti-heroes and morally grey characters,\u201d says screenwriter Sudip Sharma, who worked closely with Singh on <em>NH10<\/em> and <em>Laal Kaptaan<\/em>, and is best known for creating the critically-acclaimed neo-noir crime series <em>Paatal Lok<\/em> as well as the gritty Punjabi crime drama <em>Kohrra.<\/em> Some of his favourites from Hollywood include <em>Chinatown, Double Indemnity<\/em> and <em>Vertigo<\/em>. \u201cFrom Indian cinema, <em>Manorama Six Feet Under<\/em> really opened up the genre. Sriram (Raghavan) has done some great work with films such as <em>Johnny Gaddaar, Badlapur <\/em>and<em> Andhadun<\/em>. I am also glad that<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Kennedy<\/em> is coming out; it is a great neo-noir film and I hope it does well,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Worth_the_risk\"><\/span>Worth the risk<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering there are so many films belonging to this genre that have proved to be absolute gamechangers, filmmakers agree that there are still few and far between. It may be that not everyone has the bent of mind required to make a film like that. \u201cI think people who are into noir are themselves cynical,\u201d believes Singh, \u201cThey see through the fa\u00e7ade or maya of the society. It is a tricky space.\u201d Takalkar seconds his viewpoint. \u201cA true neo-noir film requires a director who understands that meaning emerges from absence as much as from action. Performances have to be internalised. Characters feel observed rather than explained. The camera cannot aestheticise violence for pleasure. It must observe it as a symptom of deeper decay,\u201d he explains.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Listing some of the most cutting-edge neo-noir works from world cinema, such as<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>Cure by Kiyoshi, Memories of Murder, Only God Forgives <\/em>and<em> The Consequence of Love<\/em>, he says that these films refuse to reassure. \u201cThey allow discomfort to accumulate. That\u2019s the real discipline of neo-noir and also why so few films genuinely succeed in the genre,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the Indian audiences now having the privilege to watch the best of Indian and international cinema at the click of a button, this is perhaps the ideal time for more bold filmmaking. Says Akkshay Rathie, Director, Ashirwad Theatres Pvt Ltd, \u201cAs a market, the Indian audiences are accepting of any and every genre of storytelling. They just need to be given something which is worth their time, money and effort. Look at movies such as <em>Andhadhun, Johnny Gaddaar <\/em>and<em> Dev.D<\/em>. They performed phenomenally well. So, I think the<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>audience has always been ready. The ball\u2019s always been in our court to give them what they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a genre that thrives on the truth of reality, <em>Kennedy<\/em> certainly seems to be a mirror we can no longer afford to look away from. There may be no heroes in a neo-noir, but there is, once again, a filmmaker who isn\u2019t afraid to let us sit in the dark. Welcome back, Mr Kashyap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe poets in our youth begin in gladness\/But thereof comes in the end despondency and madness.\u201d Anurag Kashyap\u2019s Kennedy opens with these lines by romantic poet William Wordsworth. There\u2019s a feeling of despondency \u2013 something you can\u2019t put your finger on but you know that what you are about to watch is not for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":13023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2343],"tags":[2344],"class_list":["post-12956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-z5-exclusive","tag-kennedy"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Kennedy_PF_IN_P4_1920x770_09_02_2026.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Deepali Dhingra","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/deepalidhingra\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Kennedy Reimagines Neo-Noir 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