Thandel
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Chandoo Mondeti
Screenplay by	Chandoo Mondeti
Story by	Kartheek Theeda
Produced by	Bunny Vasu
Starring	Naga Chaitanya Sai Pallavi
Cinematography	Shamdat
Edited by	Naveen Nooli
Music by	Devi Sri Prasad
Production company	Geetha Arts
Distributed by	see below
Release date	7 February 2025 (2025-02-07)
Running time	151 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Telugu
Budget	₹75–90 crore[2][3]
Box office	₹100 crore[4][5]

Thandel (lit. 'Captain of the boat')^[6] is a 2025 Indian Telugu-language romantic action thriller film^[7] written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti.^[8] Produced by Bunny Vasu under Geetha Arts, and starring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi.^[9] 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.^[10][11] Arabia Kadali, a television series created by Krish Jagarlamudi is also based on the same story but was released in August 2025.^[12]

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. Despite the criticism, it is a commercial success at the box office. The film has grossed over ₹100 crores worldwide and is the fifth highest-grossing Telugu film of 2025. Chaitanya won the Telangana Gaddar Film Award for Best Actor for this film.^[13]

Raju is a brave fisherman from Matchilesam, a village near Srikakulam. Like his late father, he has a natural talent for leadership and became the "Thandel" of the fishing boat. Raju and Sathya have been in love since childhood, and he always spends time with her after returning to the village from fishing trips. Sathya was very worried about Rajo's dangerous life at sea and hoped he could find safer work so they could have a peaceful future. But the sea was already in Rajo's blood, and he felt he couldn't let go. So, despite Sathya's advice, he went out to sea again with his fishing friends.

Raju and his crew encountered a sudden storm at sea and rescued several Pakistani fishermen, but they also accidentally entered Pakistani waters. Raju and 22 other fishermen were arrested by the Pakistani Navy and temporarily imprisoned before their trial. In India, Sathya was heartbroken and decided to marry Murali, a debt collector from her village. Even after learning about Raju and the others' situation, Sathya did not give up on him. She first helped Raju and others recover their owed wages from their fishing bosses, and then she traveled around pleading with the fishermen's families to ask the Indian government to bring back their families stranded in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Raju and others were humiliated by Pakistani thugs in prison.

With the assistance of the Foreign Minister, Raju and his entourage were finally able to be repatriated to India. On August 5, 2019, Article 370 of the Constitution of India was promulgated, leading to large-scale protests in Kashmir and Pakistan. The petition filed by Raju and 22 other fishermen was nullified, leaving them unable to return home and remain in prison. Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister has passed away.

With her wedding day approaching, Sathya persuades the Foreign Minister's daughter to help Raju and the others be repatriated. Unexpectedly, one of the 22 fishermen could not be released due to insufficient identification documents. Raju was heartbroken to learn from his partner Lingayya that Sathya was getting married. Raju decided to stay where he was until everyone could return to India. As a result, thanks to the efforts of the Indian Embassy, ​​they were finally able to be repatriated. Murali helped Sathya along the way and felt the love between Sathya and Raju, so he gave up the marriage and bought a plane ticket to send Raju back home. After returning to the village, Raju reunited with Sathya at the lighthouse, and the two embraced each other excitedly.

Thandel is adapted from a true story from 2018, recounting the harrowing experience of Srikakulam fishermen who were swept into Pakistani waters by waves during a routine fishing operation. Naga Chaitanya spent time with these fishermen, experiencing their plight firsthand, which fueled his passion for the film. He praised the bravery of his fellow fishermen who played a crucial role in the rescue operation and highlighted the love story that runs throughout the film.^[14]

The filming of Thandel started in December 2023 with the lead cast 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.^[15][16] 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.^[17][18][19]

Post the release of the TV show Arabia Kadali, in August 2025, Satyadev issued a clarification related to the similarity of story with the film. The pre-production work of the series began in 2023 and it took time for the team to get approval from Amazon Prime Video and to design the screenplay in an episode-wise format.^[12]

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.^[20]

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.^{[21][22][23][24]}

Geetha Arts is independently responsible for the distribution of this film in the Telugu region.^[25] The Tamil dubbed version for Tamil Nadu distributed by S. R. Prakashbabu and S. R. Prabhu under Dream Warrior Pictures.^[26] The Hindi dubbed version for North India distributed by Jayantilal Gada under Pen Marudhar.^[27]

The satellite rights were acquired by Zee Telugu, while the post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Netflix for ₹40–45 crore.^[28][2] The film began streaming on Netflix from 7 March 2025.^[29]

Thandel met with generally mixed reviews from critics.^[30][31]

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".^[32] 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".^[33] 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".^[34]

Arjun Menon of Rediff.com 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".^[35] 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".^[36]

Thandel reportedly grossed over ₹21.27 crore (US$2.2 million) worldwide in its opening day.^[37] It concluded its theatrical run with worldwide gross estimated to be ₹100 crore.^[4][5]

• Thandel at IMDb
• Thandel on X