The Telugu action drama Bhairavam, with Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas, Manchu Manoj, and Nara Rohith leading the charge, rolled into theaters on May 30, 2025, with some serious hype. Pegged as a fiery remake of the Tamil hit Garudan (2024), it promised a juicy mix of friendship, betrayal, and village politics. But just a few days in, it’s looking like Bhairavam might not live up to the buzz, leaving fans and audiences disappointed with a film that struggles to find its groove.
Directed by Vijay Kanakamedala, Bhairavam dives into the lives of three buddies—Seenu (Bellamkonda), Varada (Nara Rohith), and Gajapathi (Manchu Manoj)—whose lifelong bond gets messy when a power-hungry politician schemes to grab ₹1000 crore worth of temple land in their village, Devipuram. On paper, it’s a solid setup, but the movie doesn’t quite stick the landing. Critics are calling the first half a slog, bogged down by songs that feel out of place and a romance track that’s just not clicking. The second half picks up with some solid drama and action, but the climax? Meh, it’s just “okay,” and that’s not enough to save the day. One review summed it up as a “noisy rural drama that misses the heart of Garudan.”
At the box office, according to Koimoi, things aren’t looking great either. Bhairavam kicked off with a decent ₹3.6 crore worldwide on day one, including ₹2.75 crore from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It pulled in ₹7.5 crore over the opening weekend, but then took a nosedive, earning just ₹1.21 crore on day four—a 49% drop. With a ₹19 crore budget, the film’s only made back about 45% so far, and it’s got tough competition from the Khaleja 4K re-release, IPL 2025 playoffs, and hot new OTT drops like HIT 3 and Suriya’s Retro. That’s a rough spot to be in.
Fans on X are all over the place. Some are hyped about the performances, especially Manchu Manoj stealing the show as the bad guy after a nine-year break, with posts like “Manoj is FIRE in #Bhairavam!” and “Nara Rohith’s cool-headed vibe is a win.” But others aren’t feeling it, calling out Bellamkonda for overacting and the story for feeling choppy. One user groaned, “The whole ‘fight for Dharma’ bit feels forced,” while another wished the film had the same punch as Garudan’s humor and heart. Shot in a crazy-fast 14 days with a 900-person crew, you’d think it’d have more spark, but the lack of a killer trailer or big marketing push hasn’t helped.
The action scenes and the leads’ performances are definite bright spots, but the film trips over its own feet with a shaky first half and forgettable songs by Sricharan Pakala. Supporting players like Vennela Kishore barely get a chance to shine, and Bellamkonda seems out of his depth in a role that needed more nuance. With theater attendance dipping to 17.39% by day four and reviews staying lukewarm, Bhairavam is banking on word-of-mouth to turn things around. No big Telugu releases are crowding the schedule this week, so there’s a sliver of hope. But unless it picks up steam fast, this comeback vehicle for three talented actors might just fizzle out as a missed shot at glory.
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