Movie Review: Thandel

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 Director Chandoo Mondetti's Tamil -Telugu bi-lingual, the Naga Chaitanya -Sai Pallavi starrer Thandel hit screens on 7th February.





Satya ( Sai Pallavi) is madly in love with her childhood friend Raju ( Naga Chaitanya) in the local fishing village in Srikakulum. All goes well until one day she realises what a life threatening job Raju's is, when he has to spend months away in the sea, fishing with his team. Afraid that she will lose him she asks him to leave his much -loved profession which he refuses to do especially since he has been made the chief aka Thandel of the fishing group.

In a hasty move,  Satya decides to agree go an arranged marriage with a good man in another line of work ( Karunakaran). But luck has other things in store.

Raju and his team are taken prisoners in Pakistanj during a mishap, in the sea off their coast. As a result, the women and children of the fishing team are in a crisis with no money and food. 




Taking things in her hand, Satya travels to Gujarat and then to Delhi in a bid to do everything to get Raju and the 21 others released from prison. Does she succeed? Do Raju and Satya get re -united?


The first half of the film unfolds the love story is the lead pair with wonderful visuals and beautifully choreographed songs with Devi Sri Prasad's music weaving its magic. The compelling performances of Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi share a superb chemistry and camaraderie which works well and is the mainstay  for the movie. 

The second half moves to Karachi and the film keeps up the tension and suspense as to the fate of Raju and his men.  There are action blocks with menacing  prisoners who see the Indians as enemies. The film picks up further pace with Sai Pallavi racing against time to get the men out.  The fast paced screenplay interspersed with rising tension Sai Pallavi is facing on an emotional level torn between her impending wedding and the return of Raju.

 

On the flip side some of the action portions in the prison portions get too dramatic at times.

Overall, based on true events that are shown in the second half, Thandel, a love story laced with drama and suspense and high on emotions and the power of love, with a career best performance for Naga Chaitanya and yet another refreshing and engaging act from Sai Pallavi, peppered with top notch songs , visuals and  a solid supporting cast, makes for an engrosding watch. 

Rating 3.5 /5



CAST

Naga Chaitanya as Raju

Sai Pallavi as Satya

Prakash Belawadi as Pakistan jailer

Divya Pillai - Chandrakka

Rao Ramesh

Karunakaran

Babloo Prithiveeraj

Kalpa Latha

Kalyani Natarajan

Parvateesam

Mahesh Achanta

Kishore Raju Vasishta

Mime Gopi 

Aadukalam Naren



*CREW*


Writer & Director - Chandoo Mondeti

Cinematographer - Shamdat (ISC)

Music - Devi Sri Prasad

Editor - Naveen Nooli

Story - Kartheek Theeda

Banner - Geetha Arts

Presented by - Allu Aravind

Producer - Bunny Vas


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