Adivi Sesh is ‘okay’ if Ram Gopal Varma didn’t include his film Dacoit in Dhurandhar 2 vs Toxic clash: ‘Kids know me as…’

Yes, I’ve always done one passion project, which I make myself with friends, and another where I’m just an actor. But this time, I thought let’s make both films my own. That turned out to create a two-and-a-half-year delay. Writing began as a necessity for me. Who would give a new actor an amazing role? So I thought, why not write my own stuff? That just became a habit. But films like Hit: The Second Case (2022) and Hit: The Third Case (2025), where I just had a special appearance, I was just having a ball as an actor. That’s very liberating because in the passion projects, I’m also explaining the script to the producer, director, other lead actors, and character actors. So, I think if I’m the hero or the assistant director (laughs).

Are you also involved in the casting of these passion projects? Like Mrunal Thakur and Anurag Kashyap in Dacoit?

Sort of. I’m a big fan of Mrunal (Thakur). She’s a fantastic actor. And for us Telugu audience, there’s a special feeling for her, whether it’s Hi Nanna (2023) or Sita Ramam (2022). Dacoit is really a two-hero film. Black Friday (2004) is one of the most influential films on me, as a kid. So, it was me who begged the production to get Anurag (Kashyap) on board. He didn’t want to act. He was busy with his two directorials, Nishaanchi and another film (Bandar). I pitched the film to him at a wedding, and he instantly agreed. We’re proud it’s his Telugu debut. Since we shot the film separately in Hindi, and made a true blue Hindi film in Hyderabad, we had an amazing writer-director like him on set. So, we’d get a lot of dialogues for free once in a while. It’s so cool that I’d see him talking to directors like Alejandro Iñárritu, the director of The Revenant (2015) on the phone. I saw him say no to a film starring Tom Cruise! (Kashyap confirmed to SCREEN it was Iñárritu’s upcoming black comedy Digger, then titled Judy). I was like, “Sir, why don’t you say yes?” I’m so glad he said yes to our film.

Mrunal Thakur and Anurag Kashyap in Dacoit: A Love Story.

And what about the casting of G2? Emraan Hashmi and Wamiqa Gabbi?

From growing up on Emraan sir’s songs and movies to working with him as a co-star, it’s been fantastic. I was watching the first episode of Taskaree (on Netflix India) the other day. He’s so humble, honest, and there’s a lot of integrity. His songs are such hits that people don’t realize what a great actor he is. I loved him in Haq (2025). I’m looking forward to going back on set once Dacoit releases. Everyone talks about how talented Wamiqa is, but I don’t think they realize how talented she really is. She’d come on set, see what we’re doing, catch it, and understand how artistic or commercial a shot should be, how much she should perform for the character and for the camera. She’s so nuanced as an actor.

Emraan Hashmi and Adivi Sesh in G2.

Were you one of us who were cheering for Emraan’s cameo in Aryan Khan’s show The Ba***ds of Bollywood last year?

Yes! We had two experiences back to back. There was The Ba***ds of Bollywood on Netflix, and Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG in theatres. It was a double bonanza. My friend (Sujeeth) is the director of They Call Him OG. So, Emraan sir would be on OG set this week, and on G2 set the next week, so it was quite exciting.

When Dacoit was still clashing with Dhurandhar 2 and Toxic: A Fairy Tale on March 19, how many times were you told to push your release date?

See, it’s a beautiful festive month. Like on Sakranthi this year, we had five releases. It’s a similar time in March. There’s Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Eid, and Ram Navami within 10 days. So, there’s room for everything.

Also Read — Toxic vs Dhurandhar 2: Why Yash has won in the Middle-East after record-breaking Rs 105 cr deal, Ranveer Singh film likely to be a no-show

Did it bother you that Ram Gopal Varma called the clash “Dhuroxic”, not even considering Dacoit in the long essays he’s been writing on X?

I’m okay if Ramu sir is not talking about Dacoit. That’s not my barometer for whether or not we’re attracting the audience. When I was coming up the stairs right now, the security guard looked at me and started singing, “Mast mast…” So, if I’m able to reach him, then we’re good, whether I reach on Twitter or not. For a lot of people in the heartland, I’m International Khiladi because that’s what Goodachari was dubbed into. I remember when I was shooting on the Indo-China border, in a small village of 400 people, kids there kept calling me International Khiladi. That’s how they know me.