Anurag Kashyap is returning to the screen as an actor once again, and the excitement around his role in the upcoming action-thriller Dacoit is steadily building. At the teaser launch of the film, Kashyap spoke candidly about his journey, his evolving relationship with acting, and why Dacoit feels unlike anything he has done before. Reflecting on his early days, Kashyap shared how acting was once his original dream. “I never imagined this,” he said. “When I came to Mumbai in 1993, there was a time when I thought I would become an actor. But nothing happened back then. It just didn’t work out. And then, much later, acting happened on its own.”
Talking about Dacoit, Kashyap explained how the very idea of a dacoit has transformed with time and how the film captures that change. “In my opinion, dacoity itself has changed. The kind of dacoity that existed in the old days doesn’t exist anymore. Today, there are new kinds of dacoits and a new kind of crime. Today’s dacoits don’t roam around on horses, they travel in cars.”He emphasized that the film’s approach completely surprised him. “The entire approach of the film—the way it has been made was completely new for me. I wasn’t exactly shocked, but I was blown away by what Shaneil and Sesh have achieved. They made me do things I would never normally do as an actor. But when you see the results later, it’s incredibly satisfying.”
Kashyap also spoke about his experience with his film Nishaanchi, candidly acknowledging the realities of box-office performance.
“I’m used to it now,” he said while referring to Nishaanchi’s box-office collections. “I probably expected a little more, but maybe… I realized it by the second day. That’s when I decided that since it was one film, both parts should release together on OTT. It was a film produced by Amazon, so I was already safe.”
Despite the ups and downs of the industry, Kashyap expressed deep gratitude for his journey so far. “I’m very grateful that somehow I’m still a part of films today. I keep doing something or the other—I write, I direct, I produce, I act, I edit. I keep myself busy doing something. When I came to this city just to make one film, I never imagined I would end up doing so much work. Beyond gratitude, I don’t really feel anything else.”
Dacoit is an upcoming Indian action-thriller starring Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur in the lead roles. Directed by Shaneil Deo, the film is a Hindi-Telugu bilingual and features an ensemble cast including Anurag Kashyap, Prakash Raj, Atul Kulkarni, and Sunil. Adivi Sesh has also co-written the script. The film is slated for release on March 19, 2026.