In the harsh, dusty stretches of rural India, love and revenge grow side by side like thorny vines over an old grave. Dacoit: A Love Story steps into this world as a tense bilingual thriller that refuses to follow lazy genre habits.
Directed by first-timer Shaneil Deo, this Telugu-Hindi action drama, co-written by Deo and lead actor Adivi Sesh, runs a tight 140 minutes and hits theaters on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025.
Produced by Supriya Yarlagadda and Suniel Narang under Annapurna Studios, and driven by Bheems Ceciroleo’s dark, moody score, the film digs into broken trust, rage, and the cost of love gone bad. It is not just a heist movie; it slices into the damage left behind when romance twists into something poisonous.
Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur Lead a Strong Cast
The film leans on a strong ensemble that lifts the story from solid to gripping.
Adivi Sesh, coming off his pan-India success with Goodachari, plays Guna, a former convict whose every glance carries the weight of betrayal. He does not just pose as an anti-hero. He lives inside the character, showing fear and hurt under his tough exterior. Guna’s slide into dacoity feels personal, raw, and painful.
Opposite him, Mrunal Thakur plays Tara, the ex-lover whose betrayal set his life on fire. Known for her work in Jersey and Sita Ramam, Thakur gives Tara a sharp mix of softness and steel. She is not a helpless character; she is a survivor who uses secrets as her shield.
Their chemistry feels charged, messy, and dangerous. The mix of old desire and deep anger brings to mind the twisted romantic tension of Raman Raghav 2.0.
A Brutal Love Story Set in the Heart of Rural India
Anurag Kashyap walks away with some of the film’s best moments as Ramana, a dacoit kingpin with the mind of a philosopher and the smile of a sadist. His gravelly speech about loyalty in a place without rules feels like a direct echo of his Gangs of Wasseypur roots, yet fresh in this story.
Prakash Raj adds weight as a crooked cop who hovers on the edge of redemption. His strong screen presence balances the chaos around him.
Sunil steps in as a clumsy sidekick who slowly becomes an ally. His humor lightens the mood at the right moments without breaking the tension. Atul Kulkarni brings a heavy, brooding presence to his role as a rival enforcer.
Newer faces Zayn Marie Khan and Kamakshi Bhaskarla bring a spark of freshness. Khan plays Tara’s trusted friend, while Bhaskarla appears as a village oracle whose stories and folklore add a touch of myth to the plot.
Visual Style, Music, and Action That Hit Hard
Behind the scenes, Shaneil Deo makes a strong entrance as a director. His sense of visual detail stands out.
The camera paints a mix of deep shadows and sunburnt landscapes. The cinematographer, still uncredited in early talk but rumored to be Dani Sanchez-Lopez, frames Maharashtra’s rocky land in rich browns and blacks that feel both beautiful and harsh.
The action scenes are tight and physical. A midnight train heist becomes one of the film’s standout sequences, playing out like a fever dream. It blends the rhythmic drive of Baby Driver with the emotional weight of Hindi cinema.
Bheems Ceciroleo’s soundtrack, which blends folk beats with electronic elements, adds more pain to every betrayal. The title track, a haunting duet sung by Sesh and Thakur, hangs in the air long after the scene ends, like smoke after an attack.
Story Themes: Love, Lies, and the Price of Revenge
At its core, Dacoit deals with the messy border between love and deceit, justice and personal revenge.
Guna and Tara are pushed into working together on a streak of high-risk robberies. As they plan and run these jobs, they are forced to face the ruins of their past. Their young romance was shattered when Tara made a desperate choice to keep Guna out of prison.
The story leans on moral gray areas. It keeps asking, without spelling it out, whether revenge heals a wound or hollows a person out even more.
A key twist in the middle reveals Tara’s hidden intentions. It shifts the audience’s loyalty without cheapening the story. The film builds toward a finale that is both explosive and thoughtful, mixing action with deeper questions about love, guilt, and forgiveness.
Shaneil Deo also plays with our expectations. Gunfights do not come with glory, but with fallout that lingers in quiet, rain-soaked scenes and heavy silences.
Where the Film Stumbles
For all its strong ideas and bold choices, Dacoit is not perfect.
The pacing loses steam in the middle section. A series of flashbacks explains the past but slows down the current story. Some of the lines slip into melodrama and may remind viewers of Sesh’s earlier film Major.
Kashyap’s character, while magnetic, feels a bit underfed. Ramana is compelling enough to deserve more screen time and a deeper arc.
Still, these issues feel small when compared to what the film gets right. Dacoit tries to see its outlaws as people first, not just criminals. It reminds the audience that every feared dacoit once had dreams, hopes, and someone they loved.
Final Verdict: Fierce, Flawed, and Worth Watching
In a year crowded with big yet forgettable spectacles, Dacoit: A Love Story feels like a sharp, bold answer. It is fiery, imperfect, and deeply romantic in its own broken way.
This is the kind of film that invites a second viewing, just to sit with its emotional knots and shifting loyalties.
iBomma Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Watch it for the heists and shootouts, stay for the heartbreak, the moral turmoil, and all the what-ifs that haunt the final frame.