Anurag Kashyap says he made Sunny Leone’s audition for Kennedy ‘uncomfortable’, explains ‘mindset of India’ with expectations on Shah Rukh Khan

Khan, one of the biggest icons of Indian cinema, carries the heavy weight of audience’s expectations, which wants him to keep delivering his signature work but will also feel he isn’t doing enough. Earlier this year, when Khan turned an action star with Pathaan, the movie went on to become the biggest Hindi hit of all time.

When asked about the curiosity the casting of Leone generated for the film, Kashyap told Indianexpress.com, “That explains the entire mindset of India. They see everyone in one way. They expected Shah Rukh Khan to do the same thing again and again, then they’re disappointed then they’re like, ‘No he should do this or that’ but he took a risk with Pathaan and it became a hit. Then they want a formula. People have not seen Sunny Leone beyond their own way. I never saw a single film of hers but I did see one interview and I thought what a woman!”

The filmmaker said he reached out to Leone without knowing what her “acting capability could be”, but the glimpse of her interview was enough to convince him she could do the part. Though not enough is known about her role in Kennedy, Kashyap had previously told Film Companion that he needed a woman over 40, who is “sexualised by men around her, men who are in their 50s and 60s.”

Kashyap got in touch with Leone and asked her if she could give an audition. When Leone agreed in an instant, Kashyap was taken aback. “Despite being such a big star, she came without any hesitation.” Though Kashyap was pretty much convinced he wanted Leone for the part, there were a few things he wanted to test, such as, how does she deal with eyes on her?

“I also made the audition very uncomfortable for her, I kept everyone in the room, because I wanted to see what she can do. I had almost decided that she will play the character but I wanted to see how she’d deal with the pressure. She dealt with it so beautifully. Literally everyone in the room also knew that she’s going to do the role even before she came for the auditions. It’s not like we were testing 10 different people. When she did the reading, she was fantastic, honest and gracious.

“When somebody like Sunny Leone walks into a room, I wanted to see if she’s self-conscious about how people see her or not. But she walked in with her head held high and with confidence, there was no self-consciousness of how people see her. She’s a solid woman and I respect that so much. I knew she’d pull it off.”

Before the film went on floors, Kashyap gave the actor a few exercises —basically asking her to watch videos of Raveena Tandon and Anushka Sharma laughing. “I said look at them how they laugh whole heartedly. I wanted her to practice that laughter and the way she did her homework, with so much sincerity, she was just amazing on the set. She has done a fabulous job, she is perfect for the role. Those who saw the film, makers like Sriram Raghavan, Vikramaditya Motwane went up to her and told her how good she was in the film,” he added.

Kennedy is closing the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne on August 20. A day prior to that, Kashyap, along with Sunny Leone and Rahul Bhat, will be doing a special talk on the film. Kennedy is awaiting its India release date.