It’s been a magical month of May for Calcutta girl Megha Burman who walked the red carpet of the recently-concluded Cannes Film Festival, with the cast and crew of her film Kennedy. Megha is an integral part of the Anurag Kashyap directorial in which Rahul Bhat plays the eponymous protagonist, and which also stars Sunny Leone. t2 chatted with Megha — who shot into the spotlight with her spunky role in the Kangana Ranaut-starrer Panga a few years ago — on Cannes, Kennedy and more.

This was your first film festival, your first red carpet... and it was Cannes, with a film you are part of! It couldn’t have been better, right?

I don’t really know how to summarise it in words... it’s probably the most magical moment in my life. I have never ever felt like this before. Every artiste wants their work to be seen, and to have a platform like Cannes... possibly the biggest film showcase in the world... nothing can describe it. To even get to walk the same red carpet as Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford and Leonardo DiCaprio was magical. Kennedy was screened at the Grand Theatre Lumiere where Indiana Jones (and the Dial of Destiny), Killers of the Flower Moon were screened just a few days prior to ours.

What were the emotions like when you were first told that Kennedy was going to Cannes?

I was in Bali on a solo trip. I got a call from Anurag (Kashyap) and in a non-excited, flatline voice he told me: ‘Our film is selected. We are going to Cannes’. I was speechless, I was trying to process it and hoping that I had actually heard what I thought I had heard! (Laughs) He just told me not to tell anyone and hung up because he had to call the others.

I called my sister and father and I couldn’t contain my excitement. My dad is always thrilled with and supportive of what I do and though he’s not in the middle of all this, even he knows that Cannes is a big, big deal. My dad and sister know what an arduous journey it has been for me and they cheer for every little thing that I accomplish.

What were the highlights of Cannes for you, in terms of the premiere, walking the red carpet and presenting your film to the world?

I got to Cannes a little early and so I had a few days to get my bearings right, take in the vibe and simply absorb the atmosphere, which is magical. I wanted to watch films because that’s what Cannes is about, right? Such amazing films are screened and one needs to take advantage of that. On some days, I would pack in two films a day. Even on the day we had our premiere, I woke up early and went to watch Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City (for Megha’s pick of films at Cannes 2023, see box).

Kennedy was screened as part of the Midnight Screenings section and through the day, my mind experienced a gamut of emotions. I was anxious and excited and still in disbelief that I was actually there with a film of mine which was part of the Cannes official selection. Team Kennedy met in the hotel lobby before the screening and we were all so happy to see each other. It was a collective feeling of jubilation and celebration of having our first screening and getting to watch it together. We were all grinning ear to ear! (Laughs)

We were then driven to the Grand Theatre Lumiere. The red carpet for the team of the film being screened happens when the audience has taken their seats inside the theatre. So the red carpet was completely empty for us and we had the photographers and videographers around us. Taking your own pictures — and that includes even selfies — is not allowed on the Cannes red carpet. While we were on the carpet, people inside the theatre could see us live. It was like a dream for me... walking the carpet, standing on the famed steps and then going in for the screening.

There was a seven-minute standing ovation after the screening. It was so special to watch the film with the cast and crew. It just felt like a warm hug. The response was spectacular. I think the standing ovation could have been longer if it wasn’t a midnight screening! (Laughs) It was quite late when it ended. The next morning we had to assemble again for the photocall, which was also a memorable moment.

How did Kennedy happen to you?

I got a call from the casting director to audition. Anurag Kashyap is known to not share much about his films, even after an actor has landed the project. I was given a very tiny synopsis of my character for the audition, and I was given the context of the scene I was supposed to do. Over a period of three months, I gave three-four rounds of auditions. This was towards the end of 2021 and we shot it in 2022.

For this film, I had to give a set of self-auditions sitting at home and that was tough because I was not only emoting, I had to set up the camera, record, edit, send, resend... At the end of a series of auditions, I landed the part.

What can you tell us about the film and your part in it?

Kennedy is played by Rahul Bhat and I play his wife. I am part of the circumstances that have led to how he is in the present. My role is integral to the story because the narrative keeps coming back to the relationship between us.

What was it like being on an Anurag Kashyap set?

From the time I have dreamt of being an actor, I have wanted to be a part of Anurag Kashyap’s world. He’s a great storyteller. But once I landed the part, I was told that he doesn’t give his actors the script and I was extremely worried about how I would prep. Even two days before the shoot, I didn’t have my lines. But within the first two days, I got a hang of how he works and what goes on on his set. He doesn’t like giving the script or lines in advance because he doesn’t want his actors to prep too much. He wants it to be very organic and natural.

On the day I was to shoot one of my most important scenes for Kennedy, I was given three full pages of dialogue in his handwriting and he told me: ‘These are your lines. We are going on the floor in 15 minutes!’ I was so flustered and I did what I could.

But the way Anurag handles his actors is exemplary. The way he trusts you, the way he shows his confidence in you is just something else. After this film, I feel so much more confident as an artiste and performer. I feel I can approach film-makers and producers and tell them: ‘Yes, give this character to me. I know I can run with it.’ Kennedy has been a transformative experience and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity.

At Cannes, people came up to me and told me how much they loved my performance and spoke to me about my scenes. I was ecstatic, but I also know that I need to move forward now and find my next so that I can keep growing as an artiste.

Megha (third from left) with Rahul Bhat, Sunny Leone, Anurag Kashyap and the rest of the Kennedy cast at the Cannes photocall