Black Warrant: Rahul Bhat says passionate directors don’t cast actors based on their social media followers

(From left) Rahul Bhat and Zahan Kapoor in Black Warrant

Watching Kennedy at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival with Vikramaditya Motwane, little did Rahul Bhat know it would pave the way for his next with the filmmaker. Today, as the actor is receiving wide praise for his performance in Motwane's Black Warrant, he recalls how the filmmaker offered him the part. "When he saw Kennedy in Cannes, he really liked the film. On returning, he offered me Black Warrant. I believe the work I did with Anurag [Kashyap] influenced him," says Bhat.

Vikramaditya Motwane

The actor worked with Kashyap on Ugly (2014) and Kennedy. Having teamed up with two of the finest filmmakers in the country, did he find any similarity in their vision? "They have unique voices, but they are creatively the same - from the way they treat their actors, to creating an atmosphere so that there is immense scope for creativity. Also, Vikram bohot mehnat karta hai! When I told this to Anurag, he was laughing. It doesn't mean Anurag doesn't work hard, but Vikram is always on his toes," he grins.

In a career spanning over two decades, Bhat has done only 10 films. Despite limited work and little social media presence, which unfortunately seems to influence casting today, he has Kashyap and Motwane projects on his résumé. "I want to tell the newcomers that they must stop being social media wannabes. These directors are passionate about their cinema. They don't care if you are Shashi Kapoor's grandson or Rahul Bhat. They want to know if you can be trusted to get the character right. You could be their brother or son, but they won't cast you if you don't suit the character. They don't cast you looking at how many paps are clicking you."