Naga Chaitanya’s first look in Thandel.
Naga Chaitanya is shooting Thandel with Sai Pallavi, directed by Chandoo Mondeti.
Naga Chaitanya is shooting Thandel with Sai Pallavi, directed by Chandoo Mondeti. He recently shared details about the film’s plot and their characters. Chaitanya mentioned that Thandel is based on the 2018 incident where fishermen from Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, mistakenly entered Pakistan waters.
In a chat with Zig Wheels, he said, “Thandel is a film I’ve been working on for quite some time; it’s a very special film for me. Firstly, I’ve never attempted this kind of character or texture. It’s based on some true incidents in 2018 involving these fishermen from Srikakulam. Usually, they go to Gujarat and go fishing from there. On one of their trips, they drifted off into Pakistan’s borders and got caught.”
Chaitanya met the fishermen from Srikakulam who went through a tough time. He said the film’s love story is inspired by theirs. “Their journey being in jail for a year and a half and how they come out is what the film is about. It’s an inspiring story. I met these fishermen, spent time with them, and learnt about what they went through,” he said, adding, “The love story me and Sai feature in is also genuinely what happened. The real-life couple are now married. His wife fought for these fishermen and motivated the government to bring them back to India. I’m glad I got the opportunity to tell this story,” he said.
The film is being by Chandoo Mondeti. Bunny Vyas will produce the project under the guidance of Allu Aravind. For the pre-production, the team ventured into coastal Andhra Pradesh’s Machilesham village in Srikakulam. The actor had earlier shared snippets from their time in the village. He had said in the video, “We are in this village to meet the characters, study their body language, know the texture of the village and understand their lifestyle.” The video showed masses of fans gathered on the streets to greet Naga Chaitanya, who sweetly waves at them and interacts with some people.
