Dacoit Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Adivi Sesh, Mrunal Thakur, Anurag Kashyap
Director: Shaneil Deo
Dacoit Movie Review Synopsis:
DACOIT is the story of a man on the run. The year is 2005. Haridas aka Hari (Adivi Sesh) meets Saraswati (Mrunal Thakur) in the village of Hindupuram, and the two fall in love. Their courtship lasts for a couple of years. Hari belongs to a lower caste and is an orphan, while Saraswati comes from a wealthy upper-caste family. Saraswati wants him to become financially stable, believing that only then will he be able to ask for her hand in marriage. However, things go wrong when Hari and Saraswati are caught together by her family. One thing leads to another, and because of Saraswati, Hari is imprisoned. Thirteen years pass. The year is now 2021, during the COVID era, and Hari is lodged in Kadapa Central Prison. His former inmate, Ishaq Bhai (Atul Kulkarni), comes to meet him. Hari tells him how he was wronged by Saraswati and expresses his desire to escape from jail. Ishaq makes the necessary arrangements, and Hari manages to flee. Ishaq also arranges for him to leave the country on a ship set to sail from Mumbai in a few days. Hari needs Rs. 70 lakhs to escape illegally, and hence, he decides to steal the money. Before going ahead with his plan, he keeps an eye on Saraswati and realizes that she, too, is in desperate need of money. He approaches her and asks for her help in pulling off the theft. Saraswati agrees, as Hari promises to rob a huge sum that will solve her problem as well. However, Hari has an ulterior motive. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Dacoit Movie Story Review:
Adivi Sesh and Shaneil Deo's story is complex but has potential. Adivi Sesh and Shaneil Deo's screenplay (additional screenplay by Kaarthikeya Kalakota) is engaging but also has several loopholes. Yash Eshwari's Hindi dialogues are a mixed bag. While a few one-liners add to the drama, several dialogues don’t pack a punch and are poorly worded.
Shaneil Deo's direction is not up to the mark. To give credit where it's due, he has mounted the film on a grand scale. Hence, the product looks cinematic. A few massy moments add to the fun like Hari’s escape from jail, Hari getting the idea of stealing from the hospital, the intermission point, etc. A trademark of Shaneil Deo in this film is the way he stages multiple shots in parallel, instead of limiting the scene to the conventional back-and-forth between two concurrent shots. It adds a nice touch, especially in the scene where Hari tells Ishaq how he was wrongly framed, while the visuals cut across different moments of his prison life, aided by a strong background score. Moreover, the makers add several twists, some of which will surprise viewers.
On the flipside, the flashback portions are incoherent. The makers’ intention is to withhold key details from the audience, but the execution is far from effective. There are far too many cinematic liberties, and the biggest of them is exposed in the pre-climax. Though the twist does generate momentary surprise, it also makes one question how such a flawed script was greenlit.
Dacoit Movie Review Performances:
Adivi Sesh brings the required subtlety and mass appeal. He balances both deftly and comes out with an impressive performance. Mrunal Thakur gets an author-backed role and performs it with full conviction. After SITA RAMAM [2022] and THE FAMILY STAR [2024], she once again proves that she can carry leading roles down South with ease. Anurag Kashyap (D Rambabu) gets to play a different sort of character this time and he’s dependable. Prakash Raj (Karuna Hospital founder)’s character reminds one of the antagonist in GABBAR IS BACK [2015] initially, but the character soon turns out to be different. Moreover, Prakash brings his own touch to it. Atul Kulkarni lends able support. Sunil (Prasad; cop) leaves a mark, while Zayn Marie Khan does well but doesn’t get much scope. The same goes for Kamakshi Bhaskarla (Malli). In fact, her character drives the story forward and yet, she gets a raw deal. Vaibhav Tatwawadi (Bhaskar) is okay.
Dacoit movie music and other technical aspects:
Bheems Ceciroleo's music is forgettable. None of the songs – 'Tu Jahaan', 'Rubaroo' or 'Touch Buddy' – will have a shelf life. Gyaani's background score (additional background score by S Anant Srikar) has the massy touch.
Datta Pawar, Shashank Singh and Rahul Bandi's cinematography adds to the film’s scale. Rekha Boggarapu's costumes and Sri Nagendra Tangala's production design are straight out of life. A Vijay, Maibam Nabakanta, Rabin Subbu, King Solomon, Jeevan Botimala and Naba's action is entertaining and not too gory. Kodati Pavan Kalyan's editing is appropriate but a bit haphazard in the flashback in the beginning.
Dacoit Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, DACOIT manages to hold interest due to its massy moments, action and performances. But the narrative is bogged down by haphazard execution, loopholes and a flawed twist. At the box office, the Telugu version is expected to take a healthy opening, whereas the Hindi version will open on an underwhelming note. However, if it finds acceptance among the masses in the Hindi-speaking belt, it can benefit from the one-week clear window.
