Luke Kenny

Luke Kenny
Kenny in 2012
Born	Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Years active	1989–present
Known for	Rock On!!

Luke Kenny is an Indian actor, film director, producer, music director, composer, and former VJ. He began his career as a DJ, followed by a successful stint as the first male VJ on Channel V.<ref>"This Is What Our Favorite Channel V and MTV VJs Are Doing These Days". Firefly Daily. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.</ref> He gained widespread recognition for his role in the 2008 rock musical drama Rock On!!

In 2018, Kenny came back into prominence for his role as the hired mercenary Malcolm Murad in the Netflix series Sacred Games.<ref>Nathan, Archana (5 July 2018). "Cuckoo, Katekar and Malcom: Introducing three stand-out characters (and actors) from 'Sacred Games'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 7 August 2022.</ref>

Early life

Kenny was born in Kolkata and is of Anglo-Indian descent. His Irish grandfather was originally from Burma but moved to India after WWII and married Kenny's British grandmother. The actor's father, Robert Kenny, was born in Delhi and was a musician. He later moved to Kolkata and married Kenny's mother, who was Italian.<ref>Lal, Niharika (22 November 2014). "I love Delhi, but not its people, says Luke Kenny – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 August 2019.</ref> Kenny's parents divorced when he was very young and he grew up in Mumbai with his father and grandfather, both musicians, prompting his interest in music from a young age. He was a student at Elphinstone College in Mumbai but left the school early to pursue a career in music.

Career

Kenny began his career as a dancer, influenced by Michael Jackson. He was spotted and later recruited by Arshad Warsi's dance crew. In 1991, he joined the rock band Greek as a vocalist. Between 1993 and 1995, he had a small stint as a DJ. In 1995, he joined the newly launched Channel V as their first male VJ. He became popular and had a long-term association with the channel.<ref>"Been creatively contributive whenever I could be: VJ Luke Kenny". Business Standard India. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2019.</ref> Kenny got his first acting break in the 1997 film Bombay Boys alongside Naveen Andrews, albeit in a small role. After this, he went back to Channel V and served as their head of music programming until 2008. In 2005, Kenny tried his hand at directing and producing, with the film 13th Floor, starring Purab Kohli and Sandhya Mridul. The production was India's first digitally-released film and received recognition at film festivals. Kenny returned to acting with his breakthrough role in the 2008 film Rock On!!<ref>Banerjee, Kaushani (8 March 2020). "'Rock On!!' fames Luke Kenny's journey in Bollywood". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 11 July 2025.</ref>

Kenny has also been a contributor to various news columns. He used to write "If I May Say So" for the Hindustan Times and "LukeBox" for Rolling Stone India. In 2011 he became the channel head of 9XO, a 24/7 international music channel owned by 9X Media. In 2013, he produced and starred in India's first zombie film, Rise of the Zombie.<ref>"Getting ready for Rise of the Zombie was painful: Luke Kenny - NDTV Movies". NDTVMovies.com. February 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2019.</ref>

Kenny recently regained public attention with his acclaimed portrayal of Malcolm Murad, a hired mercenary, in the first Netflix India original series, Sacred Games.<ref>Singh, Mohnish (22 July 2019). "Cast of Sacred Games 2 goes retro in latest photoshoot". EasternEye. Retrieved 13 December 2019.</ref> Kenny was part of the cast in both seasons of the show. He next appeared as GDPA official Wolfgang Hummels (inspired by WADA) in the second season of the Amazon Prime show Inside Edge.<ref>"Inside Edge season 2 trailer: Amazon's Indian original will sustain you till Mirzapur 2". Hindustan Times. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.</ref> The same year, he also appeared in the film Tanhaji, portraying the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

In 2022, Kenny appeared in the Disney+ Hotstar series Rudra: The Edge of Darkness. The same year, he was added to the upcoming web series Parth aur Jugnu.<ref>Suthar, Manisha (16 July 2022). "Exclusive: Luke Kenny bags web series Parth aur Jugnu". IWMBuzz. Retrieved 7 August 2022.</ref>

Filmography

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Film

List of film appearances, with year, title, and role shown

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Bombay Boys	Xavier
2008	Rock On!!	Rob Nancy
2013	Rise of the Zombie	Neil Parker
2016	Banjo	Mickey a.k.a. Mic
	Rock On 2	Rob Nancy	Cameo in the song "You Know What I Mean"
2017	Qarib Qarib Singlle	Sidkong
2020	Tanhaji	Aurangzeb
2023	The Archies	Ricky Mantle
2024	Merry Christmas	Jerome
2025	Kesari Chapter 2	Appeal court judge

Television

List of television appearances, with year, title, and role shown

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2018	21 Sarfarosh – Saragarhi 1897	Major Des Voeux	Discovery Jeet
2018	Sacred Games	Malcolm Mourad	Netflix
2019	Inside Edge	Wolfgang Hummels	Amazon Prime Video
2022	Rudra: The Edge of Darkness	JK Lamba	Disney+ Hotstar
	Dharavi Bank	Michael	Disney+ Hotstar
2023	Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu	Sleeman/Mritunjay Vyas	ZEE5
2025	The Royals	Adi Mehta / Maurice	Netflix

Other crew positions

Year	Title	Director	Producer
2005	13th Floor	Yes	Yes
2013	Rise of the Zombie		Yes

External links

• Luke Kenny on IMDb
• Luke Kenny at Bollywood Hungama