Recently while promoting his film Kennedy at Cannes 2023, director Anurag Kashyap had claimed that he had offered the male lead role, played in the movie by Rahul Bhat, first to Tamil superstar Chiyaan Vikram. However, he alleged that Vikram didn't respond. Now the Ponniyin Selvan star took to Twitter to put his stand forward and actually offer a different insight to the whole controversy. Chiyaan Vikram, whose full name is Kennedy John Victor, revealed about Anurag Kashyap and his conversation from over a year ago, and in his tweet he claimed that Anurag had approached him for Kennedy but his mail id and number had changed a long time ago. Kennedy at Cannes 2023: Anurag Kashyap Talks About Movies and Storyline, Says ‘Fearless Producers Are Making All the Difference’.
And that is the reason why he was not aware about the fact that the film was for him or that he was asked to be in it. He also said that after he came to know about Kennedy from another actor, he claims he had already called Anurag Kashyap about the misunderstanding and explained what happened. In his tweet, Vikram wished Anurag "great times ahead" and said he is excited for the film "and even more so because it has my name."
Dear @anuragkashyap72 ,
Just revisiting our conversation from over a year ago for the sake of our friends and well wishers on social media. When I heard from another actor that you had tried to reach me for this film & that you felt I hadn’t responded to you, I called you myself…
— Vikram (@chiyaan) May 22, 2023
In an interview with Film Companion, Anurag Kashyap revealed that he had Chiyaan Vikram in mind when he wrote the script for his upcoming film, Kennedy. He said that he reached out to Vikram to offer him the role, but he never responded. As a result, Kashyap cast Rahul Bhat in the lead role. Kashyap said, "I actually had a specific actor in mind, when I wrote this film. Which is why the film is called Kennedy." Kennedy Teaser: Anurag Kashyap’s Noir Drama Featuring Sunny Leone and Rahul Bhat Looks Promising.
When asked who the actor was, Kashyap said, "Because that actor's nickname is Kennedy. The film was called the Kennedy Project. It is Chiyaan Vikram. Chiyaan Vikram's real name is Kennedy."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2023 04:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).