'Made a career being the underdog': Adivi Sesh opens up on Dacoit’s theatrical clash

The much-awaited bilingual action drama Dacoit, starring Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur, has been creating quite a buzz. Originally slated for a December release, the movie's release was pushed after Adivi Sesh met with an injury during filming. The movie is now all set to release on March 19, 2026, perfectly coinciding with the week that celebrates Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and Eid. Interestingly, this new date coincides with the release of other movies, sparking buzz about a major box-office clash.

While talking to Hindustan Times, Adivi Sesh opened up about Dacoit’s delay and the decision behind its new release date. He also spoke about why the ‘clash’ does not stress him.

Talking about the delay, Sesh said, “I have always taken a long time to make films. Earlier, no one knew me, so it didn’t matter. With Major, people felt it (the delay) was due to Covid-19. I have always taken up to 2 years to make a film. But this little delay happened because I injured myself. That set a situation where I couldn’t do the remaining heavy-duty action scenes for 2-3 months. I am still healing. I'm on the mend.”

Addressing the growing buzz around the theatrical clash, Sesh takes it in stride. “At the end of the day, films releasing on the same day can work. As a kid, I remember Lagaan and Gadar being released on the same day, and both films are classics. I think "clash" is something that we use in the media. For the audience, it’s all about going to the theatre to watch a film. It doesn’t really matter. My own film, Major, clashed with Samrat Prithviraj and still did well. If a film is good, it will find its audience. With Ugadi, Gudi Padwa and Eid coming together on the same weekend, it will be quite a moment of celebration.”

He further adds, “I remember in 2018, when KGF (Chapter 1) was releasing against Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero, it did quite well and changed the culture of filmmaking. But KGF was the underdog then. I am now. I have happily made a career being the underdog. My whole career has been about surprising people. I guess it has become a bit of a habit.”

He also said that the team did briefly consider shifting the release date before deciding that Ugadi would be the best time for Dacoit. “We did think (about another date),” he says. “Dacoit” is a true-blue Hindi film and a true-blue Telugu film. We shot every scene in both languages (Hindi and Telugu). Ugadi is the Telugu New Year, just like Gudi Padwa is in Maharashtra. It’s when students finish their exams. Eid is a moment of celebration. So, there were so many positives for that date that we thought it would be the best possible moment for the film.”

Since Dacoit is being shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu, Sesh explains that ensuring authenticity in both versions has been a challenge. “It is very tough because getting the cultural nuances right is a challenge. It’s very important to me that the scene resonates in its native language. It should not feel translated. There are several scenes where we changed the entire content and dialogue. The humour is completely different.”

Directed by Shaneil Deo, Dacoit stars Advi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur, Prakash Raj and Anurag Kashyap. Shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu, the film promises to showcase a blend of gripping storytelling, emotional depth and adrenaline-packed visuals.