Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi starrer Thandel hit theaters last week and has been performing well at the box office, surpassing ₹40 crore within five days of release. To celebrate the film’s success, the team hosted a success meet on Tuesday, attended by the cast and crew. Nagarjuna Akkineni, who was invited as the chief guest, shared his joy for his son Chaitanya, expressing that he hadn’t seen his son smile like that in a long time.
At the success meet, Nagarjuna recalled not knowing how Thandel was performing on the day of its release, as he was at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office with his family. He said, “It’s been ages since I’ve attended a success meet, and I’m so happy. I didn’t have my phone with me, so I was unaware of the public’s response. After the meeting, I checked my phone and found an overwhelming number of calls and messages. That’s when I realized how the Akkineni fans were celebrating this victory.”
Nagarjuna went on to express his pride for his son, saying, “I’m so happy for Chaitanya. It’s amazing to see the smile on his face. He maintained the character throughout the film, excelling in many scenes. Watching him reminded me of my father’s performances in films.”
In Thandel, Chaitanya portrays a fisherman from Srikakulam, directed by Chandoo Mondeti. The film also stars Sai Pallavi and is produced by Bunny Vasu under Geetha Arts, with Allu Aravind presenting. The movie is based on the real-life story of fishermen who accidentally drifted into Pakistan’s waters. Originally scheduled for a Sankranthi release, the film was delayed to February 7.
