Dacoit: A Love Story

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Dacoit: A Love Story

File:Dacoit - A Love Story Poster.jpg Theatrical release poster in Telugu
Directed by	Shaneil Deo
Produced by	Template:Plainlist
Starring	Template:Plainlist
Cinematography	Danush Bhaskar
Edited by	Kodati Pavan Kalyan
Music by	Template:Ubl
Country	India
Language	Template:Plainlist
Budget	₹65–100 crore

Dacoit: A Love StoryTemplate:Efn is a 2026 Indian action romantic drama film directed by Shaneil Deo in his directorial debut, who co-wrote the film with Adivi Sesh. Produced by Supriya Yarlagadda under Annapurna Studios, the film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi.

The film stars Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur in the lead roles, with Anurag Kashyap, Prakash Raj, Sunil, Zayn Marie Khan and Atul Kulkarni in supporting roles. It was released theatrically on 10 April 2026 to mixed reviews from critics. The film underperformed at the box office.

Plot

At 2021, during COVID-19, K. Haridas "Hari", a Dalit convict hailing from Hindupuram, escapes from Kadapa Central Jail with the help of his ex-cellmate, Ishaq bhai, to exact revenge against Saraswati alias "Juliet", his ex-girlfriend who double-crossed him to the police for killing her elder brother, Ramesh, and raping his friend and landlord, Malli, falsely. SI S. Janaki is tasked with catching Hari, but he holds her at knifepoint and escapes. He reaches Ishaq's den, where he asks Hari to steal Template:INR70 lakhs to send him to Dubai from Mumbai, as he is declared wanted by the police. Janaki later asks the assistance of her father, CI D. Rambabu alias "Swamy", for help in the case.

Before his task, he goes to Hindupuram to confront Juliet and sees her rushing her daughter, Chinni, to Karuna Hospitals, where her husband awaits a costly heart transplant. There, he discovers the hospital staff extorting patients by exploiting the pandemic and learns Juliet’s husband’s donor has sold himself to another patient for more money. Exposing the corruption, he persuades Juliet to help him as a getaway driver in robbing Karuna Hospitals. With the support of an insider, they hold CEO Solomon Reddy hostage, but the plan fails when Reddy’s men intervene, leading to a high-speed chase which garners Swamy and his assistant Prasad's attention. Swamy discerns that Solomon was transporting money by using the pandemic illegally but is forced to leave him scot-free due to lack of evidence, and vows to prove his crimes within 48 hours.

However, Hari and Juliet manage to rob another stash of money from another branch of the hospital and flee; they are cornered by Swamy, forcing Hari to flee to protect Juliet's cover. Swamy and Janaki investigate Hari’s past through Malli, discovering Bhaskar had secretly photographed Hari and Juliet; confronted by Malli, Bhaskar provoked Ramesh, which led to an argument. That night, Ramesh and Bhaskar attacked Hari at Malli’s house; Ramesh attempted to assault Malli, but Hari fought back and killed him in a state of exhalation. Bhaskar secretly called his uncle, a CI, and coerced Malli into falsely accusing Hari of rape and drove her out of the village. To protect Hari from an encounter orchestrated by Bhaskar, Juliet reluctantly claimed he was guilty, by bowing to her family’s demands and contemplating suicide.

Later, Hari finds Chinni's locket he gifted to Juliet, and confronts Bhaskar in the ICU ward about his crimes and attempts to strangle him, but spares him at the last minute when he reveals that Juliet was the one requiring a heart transplant; he was diagnosed for black lung for 2 months along with her, due to the pandemic. Hari goes to Juliet's friend's, Shanti's house, and learns that Juliet went to rob herself money from another branch of Karuna hospitals at Bengaluru to pay for an illegal heart transplant before 9AM. Prasad, revealed to be on Solomon's payroll, kills Ishaq and his aide Ravi and takes the money to be given to Solomon. He corners Juliet at the hospital and is about to kill her, when Hari kills him and escapes with the money and Juliet. They are cornered at the border by the police; Juliet escapes with the money, leaving Hari to fend off the cops. Swamy and Janaki defuse the situation and try to convince Hari to surrender, but he sacrifices himself and requests Swamy to take care of Juliet and Chinni in his dying moments, while Juliet's heart transplant becomes successful.

One month later, Solomon's crimes are exposed, resulting in his arrest and the shutdown of his hospital chain. Bhaskar, having been cured, enjoys Chinni's birthday. Swamy and Janaki arrive and reveal Bhaskar's deception to Juliet, who hangs a photo of her and Hari before lashing out at Bhaskar in front of the guests and leaves him. Swamy later reveals to Janaki that the heart transplanted into Juliet belonged to Hari, as his blood group matched with Juliet. She finds out that the dollar from Chinni's locket, which Hari gave, contained an engagement ring in it. Elated, she wears it as a mark of their love.

Production

Development

The film marks the directorial debut of Shaneil Deo, who previously worked as a cinematographer. Adivi Sesh and Deo co-wrote the script over two years, aiming for a "neo-Western" aesthetic reminiscent of films like Sholay and The Magnificent Seven. The story follows a man wrongfully convicted of a crime who escapes prison to seek vengeance.

Casting

In December 2024, Adivi Sesh pitched a role to Anurag Kashyap at the wedding of Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala in Hyderabad. Kashyap, making his acting debut in Telugu cinema, also assisted the team in writing the Hindi dialogues for the film. Shruti Haasan was initially considered for the female lead but was replaced by Mrunal Thakur due to creative differences.

Filming

Principal photography was primarily conducted in North India and the deserts of Rajasthan to capture the Western theme. Filming was completed in March 2026, followed by a wrap party in Hyderabad.

Music

The music was composed by Bheems Ceciroleo. The audio rights were acquired by Sony Music India for Template:INR8 crores. The first single, a romantic track titled "Rubaroo", was released in February 2026. A cross-cultural track titled "Touchbuddy", featuring Pawan Singh and Jonita Gandhi, was launched in Gorakhpur on 28 March 2026.

Release

Theatrical

The film was originally scheduled for a March 19, 2026, release to coincide with the Ugadi, Gudi Padwa and Eid festivals. However, it was postponed to 10 April 2026 to avoid a box-office clash with Dhurandhar 2. The film released worldwide theatrically on April 10th, 2026.

Home media

The post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Amazon Prime Video. The film began streaming on the platform from 8 May 2026 in Telugu and dubbed versions of Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages.

Reception

Yashaswini Sri of The Indian Express gave the film 3.5/5 stars and noted that it earns its emotional punches slowly rather than announcing them early. Vinamra Mathur of Firstpost also gave the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Adivi Sesh-Mrunal Thakur's crime-drama is powered by its swiftness and unpredictability". She called it a drama about hope and despair and wrote "You sit back and enjoy the twists and turns that the makers throw at you. But you also feel afraid for the fate of the two characters who are now united by their catastrophic circumstances."

Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave the film 3/5 stars and said "Dacoit: A Love Story is a film of compelling beginnings and uneven resolutions. It sets out to explore the fragile boundary between love and vengeance with emotional sincerity, and for a time, it succeeds. Yet, in its pursuit of narrative complexity and spectacle, it loses sight of the intimacy that once defined it." Simran Singh of Daily News and Analysis gave it 3/5 stars writing "Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur's Dacoit is certainly an engaging, entertaining watch, and the credit goes to smart writing, giving a new spin to a mundane love story."

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "For that to land, the writing of both characters and subplots needs to hold. Sesh and Shaneil, who share screenplay credits, pack the film with layered, often complex characters. Threads of possible deceit and double-crossing keep the narrative engaging at key moments. While a few characters verge on being one-note, the complexity of the central figures ultimately works in the film’s favour."

T Maruthi Acharya of India Today rated 2.5/5 stars and wrote "The first half earns your attention, the second half spends it unevenly, and you leave the theatre thinking about what it could have been rather than what it was."

Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India rated 2/5 stars and noted "Dacoit: The Love Story aims to ride that high with a mix of intensity, emotion and swagger. But instead of coming together as a gripping entertainer, it ends up feeling uneven and overstuffed - a film with big intentions that ultimately turns into a misfire." Mayank Shekhar of Mid-Day rated 2/5 stars and wrote "Within all that design, gritty sepia tones, though, that tells you nothing about the characters, or takes the story forward - I've spent more time wondering about what was going through the filmmakers' heads, rather than what's in the film!"

Aishani Biswas of Outlook India rated 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Dacoit is a romance weighed down by ambition, where strong themes fail to find a convincing story."

External links

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