Dacoit: A Love Story Movie Review: Does This Revenge Drama Hit the Mark?

Dacoit: A Love Story movie hit theatres on 10 April 2026. It marks the directorial debut of Shaneil Deo, who also co-wrote the film with Adivi Sesh. The film is produced by Supriya Yarlagadda under Annapurna Studios. Adivi Sesh and Shaneil Deo share screenplay credits, while the dialogues were worked on by the team with Anurag Kashyap also pitching in for the Hindi lines. The lead pair is Adivi Sesh, who plays K. Haridas aka Hari, and Mrunal Thakur, who plays Saraswati aka Juliet. They are former lovers whose paths cross again under violent and desperate circumstances. The music is composed by Bheems Ceciroleo and the audio rights were picked up by Sony Music India. It is a Telugu-Hindi bilingual romantic action drama that runs for two hours and thirty-five minutes.

The film was first announced back in 2023 with Shruti Haasan in the lead, but she later exited due to creative differences and Mrunal Thakur came on board. Shooting took place mainly in North India and the desert landscapes of Rajasthan to give it that raw, neo-Western feel. It was released with a UA certificate and had to compete at the box office during a crowded April weekend. The trailer promised a gritty tale of love, betrayal, and revenge with a Bonnie and Clyde kind of energy. But does the film actually deliver or does it lose itself in too many twists? Let me break it down for you simply.

Dacoit Movie Overview

The film was originally planned for a March 2026 release to coincide with the Ugadi and Eid weekend but got pushed to 10 April 2026 to avoid a clash with other big films. It is an Annapurna Studios production which means it carries a certain standard in terms of visuals and technical craft. The first single “Rubaroo” came out in February 2026 and the cross-cultural track “Touch Buddy,” featuring Pawan Singh and Jonita Gandhi, was launched in Gorakhpur in March, creating decent buzz. The film got a UA certificate from the CBFC. It underperformed at the box office but found its audience once it dropped on Amazon Prime Video on 8 May 2026, where it also released in Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada dubbed versions.

Dacoit Movie Cast and Crew

The whole film rides heavily on its lead pair. Adivi Sesh plays Hari, a man who has spent years in prison for a crime he never committed, and now he is out for revenge. He brings a quiet intensity to the role and carries the emotional weight of the film on his shoulders. Mrunal Thakur plays Saraswati, his former lover whose betrayal put him behind bars. She has been praised for bringing depth and vulnerability to a complex character, and several critics have called this one of her better performances. The chemistry between the two works well in the emotional scenes, though some felt it took time to fully click.

Anurag Kashyap makes his Telugu acting debut as CI Rambabu aka Swamy, a cop who is chasing Hari down. Prakash Raj plays Solomon Reddy, the CEO of Karuna Hospitals. Sunil appears as SI Prasad, Swamy’s assistant. Atul Kulkarni plays Ishaaq Bhai, Hari’s ex-cellmate and friend. Zayn Marie Khan is SI S. Janaki, Swamy’s daughter. Kamakshi Bhaskarla plays Malli, Hari’s landlord and sister figure. Vaibhav Tatwawadi plays Bhaskar, Saraswati’s husband. Jhansi is Shanti, her friend. Zarina Wahab plays Saraswati’s mother. Vamsee Aloor is Ramesh, her brother.

Anam Kaur plays Chinni, Saraswati and Bhaskar’s daughter. Sunaina appears as Manga, a hospital worker. Pawan Singh and Jonita Gandhi make cameo appearances in the song “Touch Buddy.” Behind the camera, Shaneil Deo himself handles the cinematography, having previously worked as a DOP on films like Goodachari and Wild Dog. The music by Bheems Ceciroleo got mixed reactions, though the background score was widely appreciated for adding tension to the narrative.

Casting members and their roles:

Dacoit Movie Storyline

The story follows Hari, who was once deeply in love with Saraswati. But she betrayed him, gave a false witness statement, and he ended up in prison for a crime he did not commit. After spending years behind bars, Hari finally escapes with one goal in mind — to find Saraswati and make her pay. But life has a strange way of twisting things. When he learns that Saraswati is now married with a child and desperately needs a huge amount of money to save her husband’s life, Hari sees an opportunity. He comes up with a plan that could help him escape to Dubai and destroy her at the same time.

The revenge mission quickly turns into a far more complex situation. Hari and Saraswati will have to work together to rob a series of people. But as they plot and scheme these robberies, past emotions return, secrets are revealed, and both must face the truth of what actually happened years ago. There’s a balance between romancing and revenging, but one half of the film is a bit of a mess with too many twists and turns. The characters make some decisions that seem like they’re doing it out of obligation, and the ending is a thrilling conclusion, but it feels like it could have been cut by a few minutes.

Dacoit: A Love Story Movie Budget

Made on a budget of around ₹65 to ₹100 crore, this is not a small film by any means. A good chunk of that went into shooting across real locations in North India and the dusty landscapes of Rajasthan, which gave it that raw, lived-in feel. The action sequences, sound design, and detailed world-building all show where the money went. Theatrically, it underperformed with reports of empty seats in several places. But the streaming deal with Amazon Prime Video and music rights with Sony Music India helped the makers recover a solid chunk of their investment. So while it is not a blockbuster, it is not a disaster either — just a film that found more love on OTT than it did in theatres.

Final Word

Dacoit: A Love Story opened on 10 April 2026 and the honest verdict is this. The first half earns your attention with some genuinely tense moments, and Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur play their roles with sincerity, making you care about what happens to them. Bheems Ceciroleo’s background score is a highlight and the cinematography captures the dusty, rugged mood of the film beautifully. The second half, however, drags in places and the constant twists start feeling contrived after a point. The handling of serious themes like betrayal, wrongful conviction, and second chances is sincere but not always convincing. As a one-time watch, it is fine if you enjoy crime dramas with a romantic angle, but don’t go in expecting the kind of tight storytelling Adivi Sesh is usually known for.

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