Thandel Movie Review: Akkineni Naga Chaitanya and natural actress Sai Pallavi starrer Thandel (meaning hero). Director Chandu Mondeti has made this film by adding patriotism and a love story. Karthik Theeda has provided the story. This movie was released to the audience worldwide on Friday (February 7).
Presented by Allu Aravind, this movie was produced by Bunny Vasu under the Geetha Arts banner and had a huge budget. How is Thandel, which came with the biggest budget in Naga Chaitanya's career? Did Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi impress? In the full review, let's see how our fishermen fought in a Pakistani jail.
Thandel Movie Story:
A remote fishing village in Srikakulam district. In that village, Raju (Naga Chaitanya) and Satya (Saipallavi) have grown up together since childhood. Raju affectionately calls Satya as Bujji's mother since childhood. Their journey that started with friendship turns into love. Thus, they live as each other's lives.
He understands from his father that Tandel means a leader who leads forward. Thus, Raju's father Tandel, inculcates all those leadership qualities from a young age. Raju continues to live in the fishing profession that he inherited.
When will Raju, who spends nine months of the year at sea for fishing, return? Bujji's mother keeps looking at the seashore. She dreams of getting married when Raju comes this time. Thus, she decides that this time when Raju comes, she will not go hunting.
But, without listening to Satya's words, Raju goes out to sea for fishing. Thus, 22 people from Matsyalesham village go fishing in three boats from Veraval, Gujarat and accidentally go to the Pakistani border in the sea.
There, they are accidentally captured by the Pakistani army. What happened after that? How did Raju, who went fishing, get caught by the Pakistan Coast Guards? What kind of torture did he experience in the Pakistani prison? What hardships did Raju face there? Will these 22 people return to India or not?
Why did Satya get angry with Raju and refuse to marry him? Did Raju and Satya finally meet? Why did riots break out in Pakistan at the same time? To know the answers to such questions, you must watch the movie Tandel in the theater.
Thandel Movie Analysis:
Since Thandel is a real-life story.. the main story of the film has already raised expectations among the audience. In 2018, fishermen from Srikakulam went fishing in Gujarat and accidentally went to the Pakistani border in the sea, were captured by the Pakistani army there, and suffered torture in a Pakistani jail for a few months, all these have made the audience interested in the film.
Director Chandu has taken some real incidents that happened in the lives of fishermen.. added love and some fictional elements to them and written the story. Especially, the heartfelt love between Raju and Satya and the patriotic sentiments are impressive to everyone. Moreover, it brings tears to the eyes of the audience. The elements added by Chandu Mondeti to the story presented by Karthik Theeda make the audience think more.
He showed the situation of those who went fishing and the suffering they endured while staying in the sea for months. He showed the hardships they endured after leaving their homes and returning and the pain they felt inside when they thought of their loved ones.
In the first half, the ocean backdrop, the love between Raju and Satya, the separation between them, and the love scenes where each feels sorry for the other immerse the audience in the story. Along with the songs Hailessa and Bujjithalli, the fight scene that follows is pleasing.
In this sequence, Raju goes to the sea to fish without listening to Satya, which makes the film more emotional. Then, Chandu poetically shows the conflict Raju faces after being separated from his beloved, and on the other hand, the pain of separation from Satya, and the expectations.
Director Chandu also kept the second half interesting with the story of 22 fishermen who went out to sea fishing and being trapped in Pakistan, and Satya going to Delhi to free them. In this story, he showed what kind of problems they faced in Pakistani jails due to the abrogation of Article 370.
He showed the help of the then Union Minister Sushma Swaraj and her daughter Bansuri Swaraj to free them. Especially in the story of Tandel, the love story is as strong as the patriotism is. In a word, the real-life inspiration behind this story resonates deeply with the audience.
Actors Performance:
It can be said that Naga Chaitanya gave his life for the movie Tandel. He played the role of the king of Tandel. He excelled in fights and action sequences. Natural actress Sai Pallavi lived as a mother of a child. The love story and chemistry between Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi were very good.
Raju and Satyala, who are real-life characters, acted as if they were born for them. Both of them spoke wonderfully in Srikakulam dialect. Aadukalam Naren, Kalpalatha, Karunakaran, Prithviraj, Mahesh and others did justice to their roles.
Technical aspects:
Music director Devi Sri Prasad has given life to this film. Examples of that are the songs Bujji Thalli and Hylessa. Currently, these songs are trending on YouTube with over a hundred million views. Devi Sri Prasad did magic with the BGM he gave for the film. Overall, Devi is the main strength of the film.
Cinematography The visuals taken by Shandat Sainuddin are amazing. The shots taken in the real ocean, every frame is high. Naveen Nooli's editing is good. Director Chandu Mondeti has made the film successful by presenting the audience with emotion and patriotism. Geetha Arts' production values are high.