Rahul Bhat returns to Cannes for third time for Hollywood debut 'Lost and Found in Kumbh'

Rahul Bhat

Fresh off the global success of Netflix's Black Warrant, Indian actor Rahul Bhat is set to make his third appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, this time with his Hollywood debut titled 'Lost & Found in Kumbh'. The film will be showcased at the Cannes Film Market.

Rahul Bhat returns to Cannes Film Festival 2025

Bhat's previous appearances at the festival were for Anurag Kashyap's Ugly (Directors' Fortnight, 2013) and Kennedy (Midnight Screening, 2023). With Lost & Found in Kumbh, he steps into a new genre and language, taking on a dramedy in English - quite a shift from the intense roles he's known for.

Lost & Found in Kumbh is a heartfelt dramedy directed by debutant Mayur Puri and produced by Los Angeles-based Mulberry Films. The story follows a London-based philosophy professor who visits India's Kumbh Mela with his British wife and son, only to find his Indian ex-wife and their son at his family home - and his father missing. As the family searches for him, the two half-brothers get lost in the massive crowd of the sacred festival.

The film was shot on location during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj - an event that occurs once every 144 years and attracts over 500 million pilgrims.

Rahul Bhat on his Hollywood debut

Rahul Bhat shared his thoughts on the project and the experience, "For a change, somebody offered me a dramedy. I've always been cast in dark, serious, violent roles. So I thought, let me try something different, something in English. We shot at the end of the Kumbh, but it was still intense - so hot, and so many people. It was tough, but also fascinating. This one's not meant to be taken too seriously. It's a cute, engaging film. You could call it a dramedy - or even a children's film in some ways. As actors, we sometimes forget we're shooting at a real place. You're so immersed in the role, it starts to feel like just another set. But it wasn't. It was the Kumbh. It was real. I'm finally tasting success after decades. My films have always been critically acclaimed, but this is the first time I'm hearing that word - ‘hit' - and it feels great."

Unlike his previous Cannes entries, Lost & Found in Kumbh offers a lighter, more accessible story and tone. His character, Maddy, a pragmatic philosophy professor, approaches the deeply spiritual and chaotic setting of the Kumbh with analytical detachment, which fuels the film's emotional and cultural contrasts.

Bhat's Cannes return follows the breakout success of Black Warrant, a Netflix prison drama where he plays a hardened jailer with a vulnerable side. The show became one of the platform's most-watched global titles this year.

Next up, Bhat will portray politician Sanjay Gandhi in Sudhir Mishra's Summer of 77, set to stream on SonyLIV.