Filming for Chandoo Mondeti’s Thandel, starring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi in the lead roles, is underway. The lead actors are filming a Shivaratri song in a specially constructed set. Here’s all we know. (Also Read: Naga Chaitanya reveals plot of Thandel: It’s inspired by real-life incident about fishermen from Srikakulam)

The Shivaratri song

The official X (formerly Twitter) page of Thandel shared some behind-the-scenes pictures of Chaitanya and Sai on set surrounded by dancers. “A musical treat for the Shiva-Parvati. This splendid song from #Thandel will be remembered for long,” they wrote, sharing the pictures and adding, “From the beats of Rockstar @ThisIsDSP to the visual of stellar dance by Yuvasamrat @chay_akkineni & @Sai_Pallavi92, this song will be special for every reason.”

In the pictures, Chaitanya and Sai are dressed in traditional wear and flanked by dancers dressed similarly, with some dressed like Goddess Kali. A massive Shiva idol forms the background. Devi Sri Prasad has composed the song while Sekhar Master has handled the choreography for the massive number, which involves with 1000 dancers, as per the film’s team. Because the film is set in Srikakulam, the makers incorporated an old Shiva temple called Sri Mukhalingam and the grand festival hosted there annually for Shivaratri in the film.

About Thandel

Directed by Chandoo, Thandel is produced by Bunny Vas under Geetha Arts. The film is presented by Allu Aravind. The film is based on true incidents involving the fishermen of D Matchilesam in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. The film explores this apart from the story of two lovers who were ripped away from each other due to circumstances.

Shamdar is the film’s cinematographer, while Naveen Nooli is the editor and Srinagendra Tangala is the art director. Thandel will be released in theatres in Telugu, apart from other south Indian languages and Hindi. The film is slated for release in theatres on December 20 but it’s been speculated that release will be postponed to next year.