Kennedy actor Rahul Bhat says his creative partnership with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap rests entirely on trust.

“Anurag and my relationship is very karmic, something is very strong between us, I feel that I know him from some past life. We have, in fact, spoken about it, that it's a very strange relationship, we have a very strong bond,” he said.

“After doing three films, we understand a lot about each other. I trust him a lot as a director and I know I'm in such expert and good hands. It's like when you are flying with a good pilot, you feel you are in good hands, you’ve to trust the pilot to take you,” the actor told PTI.

Bhat described Kashyap as not just an accomplished director but also a remarkable human being, saying that quality is reflected in his storytelling.

“If you are not a good human being, you cannot come out with such interesting ideas, amazing stories, so many circumstances and understanding the human empathy, sympathising with certain characters and also telling the truth at the same time. It's not an easy job.”

Bhat received widespread acclaim for his performance in the 2013 film Ugly, which marked a turning point in his career. He played a struggling actor searching for his missing daughter. According to him, Kennedy pushes the emotional and psychological darkness even further.

“Kennedy is Ugly on steroids. Ugly is nothing in front of what Kennedy is. Ugly is Kennedy’s child,” he said.

Kennedy features Bhat in the titular role of an insomniac ex-cop entangled in a corrupt system while seeking redemption. To prepare for the role, Bhat said he pushed himself physically and mentally, staying awake for more than a week and working 15 to 16 hours a day.

“I had not slept for at least 10 days for that scene before the climax. I was so sleepy when that scene was happening, I was like, ‘Oh God. Am I going to fall asleep?’ I was struggling but the whole thing really worked out. When you are doing something good, God also conspires to make it happen, and it happened somehow. I don't think we could have made this film now,” Bhat said.

Also starring Sunny Leone, Mohit Takalkar and Abhilash Thapliyal, Kennedy will stream on ZEE5 from February 20.