Thandel

Thandel (lit. '

.

Plot

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Raju is a brave fisherman from a small village near Srikakulam. Fishing isn't just his job; it's his life and what his family has always done. He's a natural leader and eventually becomes the "Thandel," which means the captain of his fishing boat. Now, Raju has a sweetheart named Satya (played by Sai Pallavi). They've been in love since they were kids, and she's his "bujji thalli," his loved one. Satya, though, worries a lot about Raju's dangerous life at sea. She dreams of him finding a safer job so they can have a peaceful future together. But the sea is in Raju's blood, and he feels he can't just leave it behind. One day, after a bit of a disagreement with Satya about him going to sea, Raju sets sail with his fellow fishermen. Unfortunately, a terrible storm comes out of nowhere and pushes their boat into Pakistani waters. Suddenly, their fishing trip turns into a nightmare! Raju and the other fishermen are captured by the Pakistani authorities. They are accused of being spies, even though they just got lost due to the bad weather. The movie then follows Raju and his men as they face the hardships of being prisoners in a foreign land. It shows their struggle to survive and their longing to return home to their families. Meanwhile, back in India, Satya is heartbroken and desperate. She doesn't know if Raju is even alive. The movie also shows her efforts and the efforts of others to try and get the fishermen released and brought back home. Thandel is not just about the difficulties the fishermen face. It's also a beautiful love story about Raju and Satya. Even when they are far apart and facing tough times, their love for each other keeps them going. It makes you wonder if they will ever be able to reunite after all the challenges they face. The movie also touches on themes of patriotism and the resilience of ordinary people in the face of extraordinary circumstances. It shows the deep connection the fishermen have to their homeland and their unwavering hope of returning. So, it's a mix of a sweet love story, a gripping survival tale, and a touch of patriotism, all inspired by a real incident. Many people who watched it praised the performances of Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi and the beautiful music in the film. .[11]

The filming of Thandel started in December 2023 with the lead cast Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi. The duo earlier acted in the 2021 romantic drama, Love Story. Major portions of the film were shot in Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, and Udupi.^[12][13]

A dance sequence in the film on Lord Shiva, "Namo Namah Shivaya", was shot with a budget of ₹4 crores where 900 trained dancers worked for the song.^[14][15][16]

The music of the film is composed by Devi Sri Prasad. The main soundtrack has four songs and additional two songs in the extended soundtrack.^[17]

Initially the film was planned for a

The Tamil dubbed version for Tamil Nadu distributed by S. R. Prakashbabu and S. R. Prabhu under Dream Warrior Pictures. The Hindi dubbed version for North India distributed by Jayantilal Gada under Pen Marudhar.

The satellite rights were acquired by Zee Telugu, while the post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Netflix for ₹40–45 crore.^[22][2] The film began streaming on Netflix from 7 March 2025.^[23]

Thandel met with generally mixed reviews from critics.^[24][25]

Paul Nicodemus of

Thandel reportedly grossed over ₹21.27 crore (US$2.5 million) worldwide in its opening day.[31] It concluded its theatrical run with worldwide gross estimated to be ₹100 crore.^[3][4]