As Adivi Sesh's much-awaited film Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha releases in theatres on April 10, 2026, let us tell you about an interesting casting detail from the film. Did you know that before Mrunal Thakur was finalised for the female lead, actress Shruti Haasan was originally roped in for the project and had even shot a few sequences?
Directed by Shaneil Deo, the romantic crime thriller Dacoit also stars Anurag Kashyap, Prakash Raj, Atul Kulkarni in pivotal roles. The film is produced under the banners of SS Creations and Suniel Narang Production.
Before Mrunal was cast, Shruti Haasan shot for a few sequences of Dacoit
For the unversed, Shruti Haasan filmed a few scenes in 2024 and even shared updates on her Instagram from the sets with co-actor Adivi Sesh. However, things did not go as planned, and she reportedly stepped away from the film due to creative differences, after which she was replaced by Mrunal Thakur.
In February 2024, Shruti Haasan posted a cute selfie with co-star Adivi Sesh and wrote, "Always so lovely to be around this thangam seshoo ma @adivisesh." Resharing this on Instagram stories, Adivi Sesh wrote, "Can't wait for #Dacoit to begin dear @shrutzhaasan." Take a look below:
Notably, in the film, Adivi Sesh plays the role of Haridas, who falls in love with Juliet. Mrunal Thakur portrays Saraswari, also known as Juliet. In the official trailer, viewers learn that an angry convict is seeking vengeance against his ex-girlfriend who betrayed him.
Shruti Haasan's work front
On the professional front, Shruti Haasan was last seen in Rajinikanth and Nagarjuna Akkineni’s action thriller Coolie. The film, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, received a mixed response from critics upon its release. Those who haven’t watched the film yet can stream it on the Prime Video platform in multiple languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.