Akshay Kumar inspired Adivasi Shesh to tell South’s stories in Hindi. This way
In an exclusive conversation, Adivasi Shesh shared how a film starring Akshay Kumar inspired him to tell South Indian stories in Hindi with the aim of reaching a wider audience. His new film Dacoit is a bilingual film based on the South.
Actor-writer Adivi Shesh has revealed that the Akshay Kumar starrer played an important role in shaping his approach to storytelling in Hindi, especially for his new film. Dacoit: A Love Story.
When Shesh was asked about the film’s setting on the Andhra-Karnataka border and whether there was any particular inspiration behind choosing the backdrop, Shesh explained that the scenario was a deliberate creative choice.
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The film’s dusty, sun-baked terrain is no accident. Shesh had a clear vision – something that felt like a western South Indian cowboy. However, the decision to tell a South Indian story in Hindi came from an unexpected source of inspiration.
How Padman shaped the pan-Indian view of tribal remains
Speaking to India Today, Shesh shared the scene padman And learning about its real-life origins led them to rethink how regional stories could be told to a wider audience.
He said, “We wanted something that resembled the backdrop of a cowboy western. We always knew it would be a South Indian story told in Hindi.”
Shesh told how padman Influenced that decision. “I liked it padman So much, and when I read about the actual story, I came to know that it was actually a Tamil story. So I thought, why don’t we tell our stories in Hindi so that we ourselves can reach directly (So I thought, why don’t we tell our stories in Hindi so that we can reach the audience directly),” said good character actor.
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Rather than move the narrative to a traditionally Hindi-speaking region, Shesh chose to retain the South Indian setting while making the film accessible in Hindi. “Instead of setting it in Haryana or Madhya Pradesh, the characters there are Hindi-speaking,” he said.
For the rest, this approach is as much about accessibility as it is authenticity. By presenting the story in a widely understood language and keeping it in its original setting, they aim to engage regional and national audiences without diluting the essence of the narrative.
The actor’s approach also reflects a sea change in Indian cinema, where linguistic boundaries are becoming increasingly fluid, and stories are traveling beyond regions more seamlessly than ever before.
Dacoit: A Love Story Currently running in theatres. The film also stars Mrunal Thakur and Anurag Kashyap.