'Thandel' Teaser Review: Naga Chaitanya-Sai Pallavi Come Together For A Patriotic Drama

The teaser of ‘Thandel’ opens with a shot of a boat in an expansive sea. As the camera moves closer, Naga Chaitanya’s character rises from the boat. He hoists the Tricolour on his boat and talks about reveling in a win of sorts. The teaser, then, cuts to Pakistan. The audience is taken to Central Jail Karachi, Pakistan where Naga is tortured by the police authorities. He is taunted for his patriotism, but he gives it back to them in style.

Watch the teaser of ‘Thandel’ here.

The teaser is interspersed with patriotic dialogues. In one instance when a Pakistani official taunts Naga, he says that Pakistan was a charitable piece that India gave away. He taunts them back for their attitude and says that India gave Pakistan as alms. Right after he says that he rises to shout, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” When it comes to patriotism, the trailer has done a fine job of imbibing it in every scene. But there’s a thin line between patriotism and jingoism, which hopefully, the film must have taken care of.

Sai Pallavi is introduced at the very end. She is Naga Chaitanya’s romantic interest, and it feels unnecessary to include this angle in a patriotic film. But this will mark Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi’s second film on screen and maybe that can help us change our minds.

Directed by Chandoo Mondeti, ‘Thandel’ is produced by Bunny Vas.