Thandel Movie Review: Thandel becomes the much-needed breakthrough for Naga Chaitanya, who establishes himself as an able actor, something he has been striving for a while now. The Telugu actor plays the role of Raju, a fisherman from a coastal village in Andhra Pradesh, named Machidesam. The fishermen in the town make a living off travelling to the Gujarat coast and fishing in the treacherous waters, which borders a Pakistan-controlled region. Raju, the Thandel, the captain of the village’s fisherman, is deeply in love with Sathya (Sai Pallavi), another pillar of the film. Together the two actors make Thandel a moving love story about perseverance and aid hugely in letting go of the blemishes, that are scattered in the movie.
Director Chandoo Mondeti has written Thandel based on the real events that happened in 2018 when 23 fishermen from Andhra Pradesh were arrested by the Pakistan Navy when they entered their waters. However, Thandel is not the story about the entire crew but casts its focus just on Raju and how the drastic event throws his love into immense turmoil.
To make the romance work, Chandoo takes his time to establish the intensity of the couple’s love. Whenever Raju leaves for Gujarat for a nine-month of fishing expedition, Sathya pines for him at home. They take things to some extremes. Signifying their separation, the two fly a flag with the sigil of two fish at the lighthouse of their coastal village. It gets removed upon Raju’s return. Sathya, an avid lover of seafood, goes without it in Raju’s absence. Without a network in the deep ocean, the two are cut off without any communication for nine months and left with the memories of the three months they spend together every year.
Here, Sai Pallavi finds herself in a similar role as Amaran, in which she plays Rebecca Varghese, the wife of a military officer. Hence, the role has become a cakewalk to the actress as she is incredible as Sathya awaiting the return of her lover. On the other hand, Naga Chaitanya complements her skilful performance with equally commendable acting.
