Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur star in the romantic action drama “Dacoit,” which premiered in theaters on April 10. Directed by Shaneil Deo, the film garnered mixed reviews but achieved a significant milestone by recording the highest opening of Sesh’s career. Despite the initial reception, “Dacoit” has shown resilience at the box office, surpassing the total earnings of Sesh’s previous film, “HIT: The Second Case.”
In its eighth day of release, “Dacoit” made ₹86 lakhs net in India, raising its domestic total to ₹29.47 crore, according to trade website Sacnilk. Recently, it surpassed the lifetime collection of “HIT 2,” which previously stood at ₹25.92 crore. However, it still trails behind Sesh’s film “Major,” which has a collection of ₹41.03 crore. “Dacoit,” which has versions in both Telugu and Hindi, raked in ₹28.45 crore during its first week.
On its opening day, the film earned ₹6.55 crore, maintaining steady performance throughout its initial weekend with collections of ₹6.85 crore and ₹6.40 crore on subsequent days. The following week saw fluctuations, with earnings of ₹2.70 crore on Monday and ₹3 crore on Tuesday. However, the figures dipped again on Wednesday and Thursday to ₹1.55 crore and ₹1.40 crore, respectively.
Anurag Kashyap, known for his impactful roles, revealed that he was cast for “Dacoit” during the wedding of Sobhita Dhulipala and Naga Chaitanya in 2024. He described the experience, noting, “I went to attend the wedding to do kanyadaan, and after it was done, I was taken to a corner where the script was narrated to me.” He recounted how he listened to the narration during the phera ceremony and was informed that shooting would begin the following month, without being given an option to decline.
This casting opportunity was particularly significant for Kashyap, who felt it was a chance to step away from his typical portrayals of “crazy psychopath killers.” Sobhita Dhulipala had previously starred in Kashyap’s film “Raman Raghav 2.0” in 2016, along with her participation in the Netflix anthology “Ghost Stories.” “Dacoit” marks his Telugu film debut, after previously appearing in Tamil and Malayalam films such as “Maharaja” and “Rifle Club.” As the film enters its second week, audiences are watching to see if it can maintain its current box office momentum.