00:00So, Thandiyal is a film that is inspired from some true events that happened in 2017-2018
00:11around that time. It was a bunch of fishermen that usually from this village called Shrikakulam
00:18they go to Gujarat, take some boats there for rent and then go out fishing. So, unfortunately
00:25for them on one trip they go fishing and they got caught in a storm and drift off into Pakistan
00:30waters. So, they are stuck in Pakistan jail for about a year and a half too. So, the story
00:37of Thandiyal is about this entire journey and how they come back and whatever the challenges
00:42they face and all that. The character I am playing, his name is Raju and is inspired
00:49from all these fishermen. We have consolidated a lot of emotions and taken a lot of points
00:56from all of them and their challenges and we have put it in the form of Raju, whatever
01:01they have faced. So, it's a journey about them and behind all these layers there is
01:08a beautiful love story that we have written into this film. Of course, there was a love
01:15story too present between some of them at that point of time. We have taken in that
01:22as well and sort of constructed it between my character Raju and Satya. So, this is the
01:30journey of Thandiyal and this is what the film is based on.
01:38Yeah, it's always a pleasure working with Sai Pallavi. She is such a talent house and
01:44she gives so much energy to the actor and compliments my performance or anyone's performance
01:53for that matter of fact. Whether it is the director's writing or the music director's
01:58music or the lyric writer's lyrics, she compliments everyone in such a lovely way. So, it's always
02:05great working with Pallavi.
02:08So, Chandu and me, we have a great bond in terms of, because this is our third film together.
02:22We have done Premam, Savishashi and this and he has always presented me in a very, very
02:26fresh way with every film. He is like a friend to me and he is like a well-wisher and he
02:32is always rooting for me. So, there is always so much positivity when I am with Chandu and
02:38when I am working with him. It's a very free collaborative kind of environment with him.
02:45I can share my thoughts freely, he can share his thoughts freely. It can also be good criticism
02:51whatever but it's a very open kind of a panel discussion that we have. So, I really like
02:57that kind of work style. Because he identifies what my strengths are and what my weaknesses
03:06are as an actor and he knows how to navigate through all of that and present me in the
03:10best way possible.
03:18Not only for sportsmen but I think for everyone, it's a very great move and it's something
03:24we need to be conscious about because being fit is just not only physically but also mentally.
03:31The kind of food you consume and put into your gut will automatically, they say the
03:36gut is the second brain. So, automatically when your gut is healthy, your brain is also
03:43going to be healthy. So, being conscious about obesity and all these things will definitely
03:49impact the next generation in a very, very positive way. Of course, sportsmen, I don't
03:53think we need to say because they are already very conscious about their fitness, diet etc.
04:04Yeah, like I just said previously, their efforts are very collaborative. He knows my weaknesses,
04:11he knows my pluses and so he can navigate through all this very easily. When a director
04:16understands the actor very well, the presentation becomes much better. They show the best version
04:21of you. So, this comfort is there with Chandu.
04:31The preparations happened once I went to Srikakulam, met them and actually observed them and saw
04:37their lifestyle and how they lived and their challenges. Just hearing out all their stories,
04:42I sort of marinated all that and came back and me and Chandu put it down in a very cinematic
04:48language. So, the kind of preparations were, of course, one was the physical appearance
04:54as such. Growing my hair, my beard, there is a certain kind of tan that they have because
04:59they are out in the ocean all the time and exposed to that salt air. So, that tan we
05:04had to work on. Apart from that, the Srikakulam slang, the dialect that we have chosen for
05:09Tandil, that took me a lot of time. I had some tuition for that and some coaching on
05:14that and during dubbing extensively, I had to sit and sort of make sure that the sounding
05:20is coming right. So, this took a lot of time, the dialect. And of course, the body language
05:26and the dances and the fights, all that we had workshops for and spent some time on that
05:32as well.
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