Sai Pallavi disappoints fans as she praises Sandeep Reddy Vanga at Thandel event: ‘Made me like Ananya Panday’

Sandeep Reddy Vanga recently attended the pre-release event of Sai Pallavi and Naga Chaitanya’s upcoming movie Thandel. During the event, Sai Pallavi heaped praise on Vanga, calling him "unfiltered and unapologetic"—a statement that has irked some of her fans.

(Also Read: Vanga wanted to cast Sai Pallavi in Arjun Reddy, was told to forget about it: ‘The girl won’t even wear sleeveless')

What Sai Pallavi said

Praising Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Sai Pallavi said, “Every director should have a voice within them, and yours is so unfiltered—on screen, in your interviews, and wherever you go. There’s absolutely no filter, and it’s so nice and refreshing to see someone who isn’t influenced by a lot of things around. Sometimes, we feel the need to change ourselves to please people. But as humans, when we are unapologetic, it’s a revelation in itself. You realize that things happen for the best.”

She further added, “When your passion is in the right place—like how you gave gone from making Arjun Reddy, to making a film up north, and now you’re doing even bigger films—people look forward to your movies. That, I think, is such a big thing.”

Fans disappointed with Sai

A video of her speech from the event surfaced online, and fans expressed their disappointment with her statement. One comment read, “Clown opinion.” Another wrote, “Didn’t expect this from you.” An X user commented, “Sai, I used to love you.” Another added, “Please tell me she’s being sarcastic.” One user wrote, “Sai Pallavi is losing aura points.” Another remarked, “Seriously, not expected from you, Sai.” A critical comment read, “Being unfiltered doesn’t mean justifying toxicity in interviews and movies. This just proves once again that most cinema stars are out of touch.”

Others found a new appreciation for Ananya Panday, who famously said that films like Kabir Singh are not for her, on Koffee with Karan. “This made me like Ananya Panday; she had the courage to tell Kjo and Vijay that glorifying men like Kabir Singh is wrong, and that such men aren’t attractive. I remember both men were quite arrogant in this ep,” wrote a fan. Ananya was joined by her Liger co-star Vijay Deverakonda on the episode.

“Yes, call her privileged etc, like sure, but standing up to mysogony takes courage. And that she showed,” wrote another.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga has previously faced backlash for the misogynistic and violent themes in his films, such as Kabir Singh and Animal. However, despite the criticism, both films were massive box office successes. Kabir Singh earned ₹377 crore worldwide, while the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Animal grossed over ₹900 crore globally.

About Thandel

Meanwhile, Sai Pallavi will be seen romancing Naga Chaitanya in Thandel, a romantic action thriller written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti and presented by Allu Aravind. Based on a real-life incident where fishermen from Srikakulam accidentally ventured into Pakistani waters, the film is set to hit theaters on February 7.