Over the years, I have sent about 20 people to Calcutta... I really need to visit it myself now." That is how Adivi Sesh broke the ice immediately right at the beginning of this conversation. The 40-year-old, tall and strapping pan-India star is now gearing up for the release of Dacoit, an intense love story with more than a side dose of action. Co-starring Mrunal Thakur, the bilingual biggie is co-written by Sesh — as he is popularly known — and releases in cinemas on April 10. A t2 chat with the actor.

Given that you have co-written the film, what spurred the idea of Dacoit?

The director (Shaneil Deo) is my best friend and we both enjoy watching cowboy Westerns like A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. With Dacoit, we wanted to tell a Western in a contemporary setting. Dacoit is a Western without cowboy costumes.

Also, I had been wanting to tell an intense love story for a long time... sort of a broken love story, something that is very passionate but rooted in pain. The idea was to make that kind of a love story amid a hail of guns, bullets, rocks, train tracks, fire, heat... it just felt very interesting as an idea. This is one of those rare outings where the atmosphere of the film came first for both of us and then the story idea.

In what new ways has this film and role tapped into you as a creative force?

This is my first true-blue love story. I had to tap into my first breakup, my first love, to bring about that sort of unhealed pain that was needed for the role. The kind of pain that we don't generally get into after a breakup and move on with our lives. I had to really bring that to the fore.

In Indian cinema today, a broken love story more often than not veers into toxic territory. How did you ensure Dacoit didn't fall prey to that?

I don't think there is anything wrong with telling a story that is violent or about a toxic relationship, but there has to be a reason for that ugliness to be shown on screen. It shouldn't feel like daalna tha toh daal diya. We took great, great care to provide a reason as to why my character's pain becomes very ugly in the film. For us, the 'why' in this case mattered a lot.

What is it that viewers are looking forward to in Dacoit?

I am known for my action films in the south and the sense that I get is that the audience is curious to see me in a love story. Also, a lot of the Hindi cinema audience tends to look at love stories only in the space of a musical, something like an Aashiqui 2. The idea of love being set against the backdrop of violence, as in the case of Dacoit, is a very refreshing take, especially since it is not exploitative but heartfelt.

As an audience, are you a fan of the romance genre?

I am a fan of any story told well. In the romance genre, I loved DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge) as a kid. I loved Pyaasa when I watched it in my film class. I like all sorts of love stories, especially those made in the past.

You have said that Dacoit is a "two-hero film" with Mrunal Thakur's character being much more than a leading lady. What did she bring to this role that felt special?

Her character is the soul of the film and my character is the fury of the film. When those two things clash, it can make for a very important mix. I looked at them as two opposites. They both are at war and they have their reasons and perspectives for doing so.

What was it like having filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on set as an actor?

I think he is one of the most genuine people ever, and that is because he is so unfiltered and that makes him get into trouble sometimes (laughs). I love Anurag sir... he brought gravitas to the set. We shot Dacoit in Hindi and Telugu simultaneously and he would often guide us with the Hindi dialogues. It was almost like having a world-class dialogue writer on set for free!

The kind of humility he brings in is amazing. I saw him say 'no' to a Tom Cruise film in front of me! He doesn't take himself seriously, but he takes his work very seriously. The word that I would attribute to him is authenticity.

Is that level of being unfiltered something that you aspire to be?

I definitely aspire to it but I know it comes with ramifications. I don't know if I am as courageous as he is. I am one of those guys that even if I feel I am right in a certain situation, I would rather be kind than be right. But I would definitely strive to be as authentic as he (Anurag) is, for sure.

A major turning point for you as a pan-India actor was Major a few years ago. How would you look at how your career has panned out after that?

I had pitched Major as my dream film. After that film, I didn't want Sandeep sir's (26/11 braveheart Sandeep Unnikrishnan) parents to see me playing just different kinds of army officers and making a career out of it. It meant a lot to me that they gave me the permission to play him. After Major, I got offered a couple of biopics, but for me, script comes first. Sometimes, the package may be great — like the production house and the director may sound fabulous — but if I am not riveted by the story and if it doesn't touch my heart, there is no point doing it.

It also helps that I have my own career in Telugu films, and I thought Dacoit would be a nice fit for the next chapter after Major.

We are increasingly seeing only the big, tentpole films doing well in theatres. How do you look at the market now, as both actor and creator?

I think nothing can top a good story well told. At some point, a great film does find its audience. But, of course, you do hope that you find that audience in the theatres first. It was very important to me that Dacoit be told in the language that it is native to. For that, we designed every scene individually in Telugu and Hindi and then shot them separately. The reason we did that is because I genuinely wanted to do justice to the emotions.

This is not a spectacle film... it is an emotional film. There are a lot of tight close-ups and we wanted everything to feel authentic; the viewers need to feel like they know this guy and can relate to him. If you think about it, I am being a very non-market person right now, but I am taking the pain to make two separate films with Dacoit.

That must have been very strenuous and time-consuming...

Absolutely. It was very strenuous and time-consuming, but so is making films in the first place. Filmmaking, as a business model, just doesn't make any sense! A year is considered good if out of the thousands of films being made, 10 films have made back their money. As a business model, it just doesn't make any financial sense, but those who do it are in it for the love of it.

Is that also what spurs you?

This is the only thing I know to do. I don't think I would be good at anything else.