Thandel movie review: It has been a while since Tollywood delivered a love story that makes you warm and fuzzy. Chandoo Mondeti’s Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi-starrer Thandel is a mixed bag, but one can’t fault it when it comes to the love story. The film starts well, falters, but thankfully finds its footing again. (Also Read: Naga Chaitanya reacts as Sobhita Dhulipala looks forward to him ‘finally shaving beard’ after Thandel release)
Thandel movie story
Raju (Chaitanya) and his bujji thalli (loved one) Satya (Pallavi), are childhood sweethearts who dream of a future together. The only issue? Because they hail from Matchilesam near Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, Raju is a fisherman away from home for fishing 9 months a year near Gujarat. Rare phone calls filled with longing, a flag at the lighthouse signifying his absence, and falling asleep in each other’s arms when he does come home, Raju and Satya make every minute count. But a broken promise and fishing trip gone wrong threaten to tear them apart.
Thandel movie review
Thandel is based on a real-life incident when 22 fishermen from Srikakulam and Vizianagaram were detained in Pakistan for 13 months after accidentally venturing into their waters. Chandoo takes the incident and adds a pinch of nationalism and a tablespoon of romance to it to make the film work. Thandel works as long as it focuses on the love between the lead couple; it falters when it focuses on the fishermen’s time in Karachi Central Jail. At the film’s beginning, a title card reads – where drama begins, logic ends. And the director makes good on it.
Naga Chaitanya’s performance
Chaitanya plays the titular Thandel (ship’s captain) in the film, and the character gives him a chance to sink his teeth into it. Not only does he look the part, complete with tanned skin, unruly hair and beard, et al, but he also brings a vulnerability to it. There’s a scene in particular towards the fag end of the film when Raju has learnt something heartbreaking. He clutches his chest, cries his heart out and chooses to do what needs to be done, and Chaitanya makes it all believable. It’s his performance that draws you in during the film’s weak spots, too. And aiding him along the way is Devi sri prasad’s music, particularly the song Bujji Thalli.
What doesn’t work
Oddly, Pallavi falters where Chaitanya shines. In scenes where he makes the longing for his lover feel believable, she is over-the-top in how she expresses happiness. She’s so melodramatic at the outset, she almost comes across like a manic pixie dream girl. Thankfully, once the story finds its tempo, her performance stabilises, and she delivers what people have come to expect of her.
The scenes of Raju and his men struggling in Karachi feel forced, particularly where Pakistani prisoners belittle India with no provocation. Scenes involving red tape and Sushila Swaraj (Sushma Swaraj’s counterpart) also don’t convey the urgency needed. The lead pair’s Srikakulam accent needed a lot more work. It’s noticeable and jarring when they struggle with dialogue while the supporting characters speak it with the laid-back ease it needs.
In conclusion
This is not for you if you expect a serious or logical film that delves deep into the issue, like 2016 Hindi film Sarabjit. Thandel is more of a breezy romantic drama that works only if you invest in the lead characters and want their love to win. Could it have been better? Definitely. But it just might be the win Chaitanya has been looking for a while now.
