Bhairavam (2025) Movie: Three Comeback Heroes Couldn’t Save This Telugu Drama

Bhairavam arrived in theaters on May 30, 2025, carrying hopes of three actors desperate for a hit. Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas, Manchu Manoj, and Nara Rohith join forces in this Telugu remake that tries hard but doesn’t quite deliver.

Director Vijay Kanakamedala takes the Tamil film Garudan and gives it a Telugu makeover. The supporting cast features Aditi Shankar, Aanandi, Divya Pillai, and veteran Jaya Sudha in key roles.

Story That Shows Promise

Set in Devipuram, the movie tells us about Gajapathi and Varada – two friends who grew up together. Their bond gets stronger when Seenu saves Gajapathi’s life during childhood.

What starts as a heartwarming friendship story slowly turns dark. Politics enters their lives, and suddenly these close friends find themselves on opposite sides.

The basic idea works well on paper. Village politics, temple control, and broken friendships – all ingredients for a solid drama.

Acting That Hits and Misses

Nara Rohith stands out as the most natural performer here. He brings genuine emotion to his scenes and makes you care about his character.

Manchu Manoj returns after a break, but his performance feels forced. That deep voice he puts on becomes irritating after a while. I wish he had played it more naturally.

Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas does what he always does – action scenes and dramatic dialogue delivery. Nothing new, but he’s competent enough for this kind of role.

The female actors get very little to do. They appear in songs and a few emotional scenes, then disappear from the story.

What Works in This Movie

I enjoyed the action sequences quite a bit. They’re well-shot and pack the right punch. The fight choreography feels raw and realistic.

The village setting looks authentic. You can feel the dusty roads and small-town politics that drive the story forward.

Second half improves dramatically over the first. Once the setup is done, the drama picks up pace and holds your attention better.

Some emotional moments between the friends work really well. When they’re not trying too hard, these actors can deliver genuine performances.

Where It Goes Wrong

The first half drags terribly. Too many songs interrupt the flow, and the story takes forever to get going.

Pacing becomes a major problem throughout. Just when you get invested, a random song or comedy track breaks the mood.

The climax feels rushed and doesn’t give proper closure to character arcs. After building up all that tension, the ending disappoints.

Dialogue writing sounds outdated. Characters speak in ways that feel artificial, not how real people actually talk.

Technical Aspects

Vijay Kanakamedala’s direction shows experience but lacks freshness. He plays it safe instead of taking creative risks.

Cinematography captures the rural feel nicely. The camera work during action scenes deserves praise for its clarity.

Background music supports the drama well. However, the songs feel forced and could have been trimmed significantly.

Editing needed more work, especially in the first half where scenes feel unnecessarily stretched.

Critics and Audience Response

Most reviewers gave the film average ratings around 2.5 to 2.75 out of 5. 123Telugu, Telugu360, and Cinejosh all landed in this range.

IMDb shows a 4.4 rating, but that seems inflated from early enthusiastic viewers. More realistic scores hover around 2.5-3 stars.

Audiences appreciate the action but complain about the slow pace. Many feel it’s a decent one-time watch if you have nothing else to do.

Social media reactions show mixed feelings. Action fans enjoy it more than general moviegoers.

My Final Take

Bhairavam had potential but doesn’t live up to it. The story foundation is solid, but execution lets it down badly.

I found myself checking my watch during the first half. Things improve later, but by then you’ve lost some interest.

For these three actors, it’s neither a comeback nor a complete disaster. Just another mediocre film that will be forgotten soon.

If you enjoy village-based action dramas and have patience for slow storytelling, give it a try. Otherwise, wait for streaming.

My Rating: 2.5/5