Actor-writer Adivi Sesh has revealed that an Akshay Kumar-starrer played a key role in shaping his approach to storytelling in Hindi, especially for his new film Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha.
When asked about the film’s setting along the Andhra–Karnataka border and whether there was a specific inspiration behind choosing the backdrop, Sesh explained that the landscape was a deliberate creative choice.
The film’s dusty, sun-baked terrain isn’t incidental. Sesh had a clear vision—something that felt like a South Indian cowboy western. However, the decision to tell a South Indian story in Hindi stemmed from an unexpected source of inspiration.
How Padman shaped Adivi Sesh’s pan-India vision
In a conversation with India Today, Sesh shared that watching Padman and learning about its real-life origins made him rethink how regional stories could be told to a wider audience.
“We wanted something that looked like the backdrop of a cowboy western. We always knew it was going to be a South Indian story told in Hindi.,” he said.
Sesh went on to explain how Padman influenced that decision. “I’d loved Padman so much, and when I read about the real story, I found out it was in fact a Tamil story. Toh mujhe laga, kyun na hum humari kahaniyaan Hindi mein batayein taaki hum khud directly reach karein (So I thought, why not tell our stories in Hindi so that we can reach audiences directly ourselves),” said the Goodachari actor.
Adivi Sesh rejects the reset formula
Instead of relocating the narrative to a more traditionally Hindi-speaking belt, Sesh chose to retain the South Indian setting while making the film accessible in Hindi. “Rather than reset it into Haryana or Madhya Pradesh, the characters happen to be Hindi-speaking there,” he added.
For Sesh, this approach is about authenticity as much as reach. By keeping the story rooted in its original milieu while presenting it in a widely understood language, he aims to bridge regional and national audiences without diluting the essence of the narrative.
The actor’s perspective also reflects a larger shift in Indian cinema, where linguistic boundaries are becoming increasingly fluid, and stories are travelling beyond regions more seamlessly than ever before.
Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha is currently running in cinemas. The film also stars Mrunal Thakur and Anurag Kashyap.
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