# Thandel

Thandel (lit. 'Captain of the boat') is a 2025 Indian Telugu-language romantic action thriller film written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti. Produced by Bunny Vasu under Geetha Arts, and starring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi. The film is based on a real-life incident that occurred in 2018, depicting how Pakistani forces captured a fisherman from Srikakulam in international waters.
Thandel was initially scheduled to be released in January 2025, on the occasion of Sankranthi, but was postponed. The film was released in theatres on 7 February 2025 to mixed reviews from critics, who praised the lead cast's performance, visuals and soundtrack, while the narration received criticism. The film has grossed over ₹100 crores worldwide and is the fourth highest-grossing Telugu film of 2025 as well as the eighth highest-grossing Indian film of 2025.

## Plot

Raju is a fisherman deeply in love with Satya. However, at one point, Satya urges Raju to stop going to the sea and look for other jobs. Ignoring her plea, Raju ventures out into the sea and accidentally drifts into Pakistani waters, where he is arrested. The rest of the story follows how Raju and Satya reunite after enduring a series of heartbreaking events.

## Cast

* Naga Chaitanya as Raju
* Sai Pallavi as Satya
* Prakash Belawadi as Pakistani Jailer
* Aadukalam Naren as Chittha
* Divya Pillai as Chandra
* Karunakaran as Murali
* Babloo Prithiveeraj as Satya's father
* Kalpa Latha as Raju's mother
* Charandeep as Suribabu
* Kalyani Natarajan
* Parvateesam
* Mahesh Achanta
* Reddi Bhanu Prasad as Pakistani Sentri
* Kishore Raju Vasishta as Indian Soldier
* Krishna Kumar P as Indian Soldier
* Sri Pavan as Indian Soldier
* Abhinav Singh Raghav as PA to External Foreign Minister

## Production
### Filming

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.
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.

## Soundtrack

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.

## Release
### Theatrical

Initially the film was planned for a Sankranthi festival release in January 2025. Due to some difficulties in shooting permissions and also for uncompromised quality of making, the makers have opted for 7 February 2025 in original Telugu and also dubbed in Tamil and Hindi languages.
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.

### Home media

The satellite rights were acquired by Zee Telugu, while the post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Netflix for ₹40 crore. The film began streaming on Netflix from 7 March 2025.

## Reception
### Critical response

Thandel met with generally mixed reviews from critics.
Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Thandel is an engaging romantic action drama that delivers on its promise. While there are moments where the narrative could have been tighter, the film’s decent storytelling, moving music, stunning visuals and brilliant lead performances ensure it leaves an impact. If you’re looking for an intense love story with drama, action, and a touch of patriotism, Thandel is worth a watch". Avad Mohammad of OTTPlay gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "On the whole, Thandel is a deeply moving romantic drama, elevated by outstanding performances from Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi. The emotionally gripping narrative keeps you engaged until the very end, making it a must-watch this weekend. Highly recommended". Rachit Gupta of Filmfare gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "DSP's music and Shamdat Sainudeen's cinematography are highlights of Thandel. Together the music and visuals of this film are at par with any international production one may have seen. But director Chandoo Mondeti's direction and the screenplay don't always convince you of the epic that's unfolding on screen".
Arjun Menon of Rediff gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "The reluctance to own the romantic tragedy at the heart for superficial thrills prevents Thandel from truly rising". Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "But the fact that there was space for just one love story to bloom rather than 22 life stories to come to life is why Thandel is a lovely romance that doesn’t go all the way because it falls short of becoming an effective drama".

### Box office

Thandel reportedly grossed over ₹21.27 crore (US$2.4 million) worldwide in its opening day. It concluded its theatrical run with worldwide gross estimated to be ₹100 crore.