Thandel (2025)

Thandel (2025)

Movie	:	Thandel
Director	:	Chandoo Mondeti
Starring	:	Naga Chaitanya , Sai Pallavi And More
Genres	:	Action, Drama, Thriller
Editing	:	Naveen Nooli
Rating	:	9.1/10
Release Date	:	7 February 2025

Synopsis 

Thandel is based on the true story of two childhood friends, Satya and Raju. Now Raju is a fisherman whose profession is at sea. But during one of his final ventures, Raju and his team accidentally cross into Pakistani waters. They are captured by Pakistani forces and imprisoned. Is Raju free from Pakistani jail or not?

Plus points (+)

Tamil and Telugu cinema is completely filled with patriotism movies like Thuppakki (2012), Indian, and Indian 2 (2024), Beast (2022), and more. But director Chandoo Mondeti goes one step ahead; he once again comes with Naga Chaitanya in Thandel, where Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi appear in the lead cast.

The first half of the movie primarily revolves around the romantic track between Satya and Raju, with Devi Sri Prasad’s background music adding a touch of love to the film. The second half is a perfect blend of patriotism and emotional scenes, making it highly likely that your eyes will fill with tears.

Director Chandoo Mondeti, who mainly works in the Telugu industry, has now released his movie Thandel in multiple languages. Now you don't need to wait 4 or 5 months for the dubbed movie in your native language, like Tamil or Hindi. 

If you think that Chandoo Mondeti's first time working with Naga Chaitanya is a big deal, your knowledge is incomplete, because before Thandel, Director Chandoo Mondeti and Naga Chaitanya both worked together in Premam (2016) and Savyasachi (2018). 

Back to the topic, I give 5 out of 5 marks to Director Chandoo Mondeti for making the first half only for Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi fans.We always hear that music is the back bone of the movie this line perfect for Devi Sri Prasad  , Because we all knows that music which composed by Devi Sri Prasad never be failed just like Arijit Singh in bollywood.

 He lifted quite a few ordinary scenes with his terrific background score.After giving solid performance in Custody (2023), where he played the PC A. Shiva role, back to 2025, Naga Chaitanya once again appears in the Thandav lead cast, where he plays the role of Raju, a young fisherman. In the first half, his romantic scenes with Sai Pallavi are awesome; both are talented actors in the South Indian film industry. While the second half of his performance is a little bit faded due to a slow pace and a lack of strong emotional connection. 

After the success of Amaran (2024), once again Sai Pallavi became a national crush. I personally followed Sai Pallavi after Maari 2 (2018) because her name is included with the most famous celebrities in the world. Back to the topic, yes, it is true that Thandav's face is Naga Chaitanya, but when you watch romantic and emotional scenes of her, you realize that the soul of Thandav is Sai Pallavi. Her performance, especially in the first half of the movie, is awesome.

Minus Points (-)

The first half is ten times better than the second half because it unfolds in an interesting way, gradually introducing the characters and allowing us to dive into their personal lives. In contrast, the second half becomes a hub of emotional and dramatic scenes, which is not what we expected from our favorite actors.

A large portion of the second half is spent on India-Pakistan conflicts, Article 370, and other political themes, which feel like a huge and unnecessary deviation. The film was never intended as a patriotic drama, as established in the first half, yet the director completely loses focus, shifting towards India vs. Pakistan dialogues that add little value. Worse, these scenes fail to strike the right patriotic chord, as they have been seen countless times before.

Conclusion 

Thandel is a film that blends love, drama, and patriotism. The first half is perfect for those who enjoy romantic movies, while the second half is more focused on patriotism rather than love and drama. If you're looking for a perfect family movie, I highly recommend Thandel to everyone, as it is completely free from adult content.