The Telugu-Hindi film Dacoit: A Love Story starring Mrunal Thakur and Adivi Sesh is slated to hit theatres on April 10, 2026. Directed by debutant Shaneil Deo, the film was initially scheduled for a March 27 release but was pushed ahead, reportedly because of Dhurandhar 2’s release on March 19. Apart from the lead pair, the film also features Anurag Kashyap in a pivotal role, with reports suggesting he plays the antagonist. The supporting cast includes Prakash Raj and Sunil.
In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur opened up about their experience of working with Anurag Kashyap.
Adivi Sesh on learning from Anurag Kashyap
Sesh admitted that working with Kashyap was initially intimidating, given his stature in the industry. “It started off as us being a little scared because this guy is a legend. Black Friday is one of the reasons I wanted to make movies. I remember watching it as a kid in Fremont, California, three times in the same week. His sense of pacing, his sense of art was extraordinary.”
However, that perception quickly changed once they began interacting. “If he said something, we took it with a lot of weight. But it took a day to realise that he is absolutely unfiltered. It’s almost childlike, so genuine and honest, and I loved that.”
“I started requesting him to mentor me on various things. I am saying this as a joke, but it actually helped us a lot when we had India’s best Hindi dialogue writer on set for free. He would say, ‘This will sound better.’ We had tremendous emotional guidance towards the film.”
Adivi Sesh also reflected on Anurag Kashyap’s personality, describing how he is equally at ease mentoring young, aspiring filmmakers and interacting with global cinema figures.
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“Within the same hour, I would see him talking to a kid from a film institute in Hyderabad and telling him, ‘Come to Mumbai next week, book a ticket,’ and then ask someone to arrange it. And in that same hour, I’d see him speaking to an Oscar-winning filmmaker and then casually ask, ‘What’s the next shot?’ I would see all of that in one hour.”
Sesh recalls the moment when Kashyap gave a suggestion for a scene with hesitation. “Throughout the entire film, one time he asked, ‘Can I just suggest something directorially?’ He said it with so much sheepishness and we were like, ‘Sir, please, tell us, help us.’ Then for an hour, he gave a small masterclass on stillness, and that ended up becoming the final shot of the trailer. I sincerely think that shot happened because of him.”
Mrunal Thakur on Anurag Kashyap’s authenticity
Mrunal Thakur described Anurag Kashyap as one of a kind. “He is so authentic, and when he transforms in front of the camera as an actor, I have never witnessed something like this before. I was not expecting it.”
She admitted that her first day on set was overwhelming. “I thought I might get scolded because he is also a director but he was so nice and supportive.”
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Mrunal Thakur also pointed out that stepping into Telugu cinema was a shared new experience for both of them. “Telugu is equally new for him as well, so we had lots and lots of fun and got to see different sides of him. I think he is just so fluid, so authentic in his own way. I don’t think there is any other Anurag Kashyap in this world—he is one of a kind, single piece.”
Anurag Kashyap on moving out of Mumbai
Anurag Kashyap, who has moved out of Mumbai and is now based in Bengaluru, has repeatedly spoken about finding a sense of peace after leaving the city. The filmmaker-actor has also been actively working in regional cinema, with projects like Maharaja and Rifle Club.
In an interview last year with Sudhir Srinivasan, Kashyap shared how working on the Malayalam film Rifle Club helped him reconnect with a community of filmmakers.
“Hindi filmmakers have been avoiding me, because they think I’m bad new, because they think I have no filter and I talk. They think that if they get associated with me, they might not get (to work with) some studio or somebody else will get upset. And I’ve come to a place that I’m inspired by, and people have so much love for me,” he said, adding that the warmth he experienced in the South made him question his place in Mumbai. “Why am I in a place where I’m being told that people are talking about your alcoholism, people are talking about your depression, people are saying you’re losing your way. They’re trying to be my saviour and telling me what I must do to save me from myself,” he said.
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Kashyap also revealed that his lifestyle shifted naturally after the move. “I stopped drinking ‘automatically’ after moving to the South. I don’t have to deal with people. Automatically, I started exercising. Automatically, I started writing,” he said.
