Bhairavam Movie Review: Nara Rohith, Manchu Manoj and Bellamkonda Sreenivas starrer has inconsistent writing but a solid second half

Bhairavam

Hard-hitting dramas like Naandhi and Ugram, Y Vijay Kanakamedala is back with Bhairavam, a rural-based actioner that has Nara Rohith, Manchu Manoj and Bellamkonda Sreenivas in lead roles.

Amidst a politically driven land dispute, the film is all set to bring in mass action, friendship, betrayal and redemption. Though the premise is good on paper, it is haphazard in execution, the first half dragging and the second saving it. And yes, this film is the remake of Tamil blockbuster hit Garudan.

Plot:

The plot revolves around three friends who turn against each other — Varada (Nara Rohith) and Gajapathi (Manchu Manoj) and Seenu (Bellamkonda Sreenivas), the third one. Their lives go upside down when a businessman and his powerful politician friend in Bhopal are after a property for a Rs 1000 crore worth of land.

The threesome fall into a trap, and the movie details how they can survive the betrayal, and strike back. The storytelling starts with high-energy meet-cutes for each of the heroes, all massy fights and stylized snapshots. Thus it is that the earlier parts are rather bereft of feeling and the characters for much of the first half do seem multiple.

Analysis and performances:

In terms of acting, you can’t beat a film where all three of the top-billed men are providing more sincere performances pretty much in line with what they’re best capable of. Bellamkonda Sreenivas begins light-to-the-touch, mostly emerging in dance numbers and early fight sequences, but acquires greater heft in the second half.

Gajapathi (Manchu Manoj) is loud and aggressive, and his character with a few layers more would have been interesting, yet, it’s great to see him back on screen. Nara Rohith, is the least of the likely but not the worst out of the three emotes with restraint and intensity. He looks so different in the film with grey hair and a beefier look, that goes on to justify his portrayal.

Though its first half is a bit uninspired, the film picks up with energy right before the interval.

A plot involving temple ornaments and key documents reveals itself, bringing intrigue back into the mix and lifting overburdened material for the second half. The Mamidi Thota scene is thrilling and has a huge impact on Nara Rohith’s character. The script does pack more of an emotional punch, and the confrontations are more impactful.

In the climax, there is a divine twist to Bellamkonda’s’ character as it tries to inject a spiritual side, quite similar to the one that we have seen in K.Kantara. That, however, also makes the shift seem unnatural and uninspired, due to the absence of proper set-up. That might break up the rhythm to some degree, however, it doesn't land the powerful blow it seeks to deliver.

The supporting cast is at best a mixed bag. Vennela Kishore is thoroughly wasted in an insignificant role and his comic timing doesn’t bear fruit. Jayasudha sparkles in a brief role as the grandmother. Supporting actors like Sampath Raj, Ajay, Sandeep Raj suit their roles but do not have much screen space. The women lead, particularly Aditi Shankar have nothing to do other than appearing in the songs with Bellamkonda.

Technical aspects

Music by Sricharan Pakala is ok – average through songs, while it is really elevating the scenes in action blocks and emotional scenes, in the background score. The rural milieu translates into a visually grounded look of the film courtesy of cinematography by Hari K Vedantam. Chota K Prasad's editing is neat but sudden cuts off in a couple of scenes are jarring. Technically production values offered by Sri Sathya Sai Arts are beefed up, making it feel good and right.

Verdict

To conclude, Bhairavam has stale written content and formulaic exercising in the first half and picks up pace in the second half with some good drama and gripping action episodes. The hero and the anti-hero play their parts well, and even when things come crashing into the well it looks like the film was trying to salvage whatever little it could, but the defence saves the day eventually and what you have is a decent one-time watch for fans of rural action dramas.

Director: Vijay Kanakamedala

Cast: Sreenivas Bellamkonda, Manchu Manoj, Nara Rohit

Producer: Radha Mohan

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5