7th February 2025, Friday
Love stories in Tollywood have started disappearing for some time, and Thandel, helmed by Chandoo Mondeti and with Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi in the lead, tries to fill that gap. The film is a very emotionally charged romance, but it stumbles for a while before regaining its footing.
About the Story
The story starts with childhood lovers Raju (Naga Chaitanya) and Satya (Sai Pallavi) and their dreams of being together. However, being a fisherman, life takes Raju away from Matchilesam, near Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, for nine months of the year, working in fishing along the coast of Gujarat. Their relationship survives on phone calls, a handful of days spent together, and a lighthouse flag that signals his absence. A broken promise, however, coupled with one ill-fated fishing trip, drives them apart.
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A Beautiful Love Story That Went Through Hell for Survival
Based on a true incident, Thandel weaves its romance around nationalism, where 22 fishermen were arrested from Srikakulam and Vizianagaram by Pakistan for 13 months, as they inadvertently crossed into its waters. The movie is at its best while portraying the love story of Raju and Satya, showing both their longing and devotion; it falters when it begins to narrate the ordeal of fishermen imprisoned in Karachi Central Jail. “Where drama begins, logic ends,” says one title card at the beginning, and the film mostly thereafter adheres to that notion.
Naga Chaitanya’s Standout Performance
With full conviction, Chaitanya fits into the shoes of Raju, the titular Thandel (ship’s captain). The look he gets for the character–sunburnt skin, fresh from sleep hairdo, and rugged beard–brings more authenticity. But, most important, he instills in his character a raw vulnerability that makes you essentially believe in Raju’s pain. Towards the climax, when Raju suffers such heartbreak and clutches his chest while weeping in despair, it is entirely riveting, and Chaitanya manages to keep the audience’s focus on the emotions even through the weaker stretches of the film. There are several gripping moments in this scene, and Devi Sri Prasad’s melodious tune is quite haunting, especially in the song Bujji Thalli.
Where the Film Falters
Oddly, where Chaitanya shines, Pallavi fails to find that rhythm through the first portions. Her overboard expressions and over-the-top antics makes Satya come off as a manic pixie dream girl instead of a character anybody can relate to. Fortunately, she settles into her role as the film progresses and delivers what the audience expects of her.
The representation of Raju and his fellow fishermen’s plight in Karachi is rather crude. The scenes showing Pakistani prisoners tormenting their Indian counterparts are overtly forced, so is with the bureaucracy. The inclusion of the character Sushila Swaraj, an obvious reference to the late Sushma Swaraj, saves only to sabotage the urgency demanded by such a situation. Also, the lead actors were not quite adept at delivering the Srikakulam dialect, which sounded unconvincing, while the supporting characters had it easy.
Final Verdict
If you’re expecting a gritty, realistic look at wrongful imprisonment like Sarbjit (2016), Thandel may not be your cup of tea. It leans more on the romantic drama side, giving us a love story fueled more by emotional investment than logic. While not without its flaws, the performance of Chaitanya and the leads’ chemistry make it a film worth watching. It may not be a masterpiece, but this could be the big one for Chaitanya, who has been waiting far too long.
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