Naga Chaitanya Shares Plot Details Of ‘Thandel’: It’s Based On True Incidents In 2018 Involving Fishermen From Srikakulam

Naga Chaitanya disclosed how ‘Thandel’ is actually inspired by the 2018 incident, when fishermen from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh were taken into custody after they drifted into Pakistan waters by mistake. 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.”

The actor shared how he met the fishermen from Srikakulam, and said, “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.” Naga Chaitanya further mentioned that the film’s love story around him and Sai is also genuinely about 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 shared.

‘Thandel’ marks Chaitanya’s third film with Chandoo. They had worked earlier in ‘Premam’ and ‘Savyasachi’. The film is his second with Sai after Sekhar Kammula’s ‘Love Story’. Presented by Allu Aravind’s Geetha Arts and produced by Bunny Vasu, ‘Thandel’ has music from Devi Sri Prasad while Shamdat is the cinematographer.