Mrunal Thakur teams up with Telugu star Adivi Sesh for the romantic action drama Dacoit.
Conceived as a bilingual, the film has been shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi.
The Hindi version carries the extended title Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha, placing it alongside films like Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, with the suffix underscoring its romance-driven narrative.
“Dacoit is very different film. This is my first film which I have shot in Hindi and Telugu,” Mrunal said at the Hindi launch event in Mumbai.
“I don’t think after Love Sonia I got to tap into various shades of a character. This is that film, and it was a fantastic experience for me.”
In the film, Adivi Sesh essays the role of a thief named Hari who falls for Mrunal Thakur’s character. Her journey traces a striking transformation from a lovable young woman to a gritty, revenge-driven force.
The teaser also offers a glimpse into a gritty world steeped in crime, vengeance, and raw emotion.
At the event, the lead pair made a dramatic entry on stage, sporting black scarves partially covering their faces, mirroring the intense persona of their characters from the film.
Mrunal introduced her co-star and clarified that “Sesh” is his first name, even though many assume “Adivi” to be one.
They were joined by Anurag Kashyap, who takes a break from the director’s chair to essay a menacing antagonist, hot on the trail of Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur’s characters in the film.
WATCH: What Mrunal Thakur would steal from her co-stars
Cinematographer Shaneil Deo, who shot Sesh’s Telugu hits Goodachari and Kshanam, makes his directorial debut with Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha.
Describing the film as a “dard bhari love story”, Shaneil hailed Sesh as the “fire” and Mrunal as the “soul” that drive the narrative.
Sesh shared that his friendship with Shaneil goes back many years, having grown up in San Francisco together before finding their way into the Telugu film industry.
“He doesn’t speak Telugu and I don’t speak Hindi very well, yet here we are,” Sesh said with a laugh, playfully highlighting the film’s bilingual nature.
WATCH: Why Adivi Sesh rejected Hindi movie offers after Major
Anurag said he had a blast working on Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha and praised both Shaneil and Sesh for “pulling it off” with conviction.
Addressing whether he was disheartened by Nishaanchi‘s box office performance, which led to its sequel opting for a direct-to-OTT release, the director-turned-actor quipped that he’s used to it.
“I am used to it (laughs). I probably expected a little bit more. I realised it on the second day. Because it was one film, we decided to put both parts together on OTT. It was a film produced by Amazon, so I am okay,” Anurag said.
WATCH: Anurag Kashyap on why he said yes to Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha
Sesh also addressed the impending box office clash, as Dacoit gears up for release alongside Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2 and Yash’s actioner Toxic on March 19.
“In 2022, Major came alongside Kamal Haasan sir’s Vikram and Yash Raj Films’ Samrat Prithviraj. I faced the same question during that time, and my answer remains the same,” Sesh said.
“There might be many big fish in the sea, but we are the goldfish.”
