Tribanadhari Barbarik Review: Sathyaraj drives the film with sheer screen presence. Even with its flaws, the film manages to keep you hooked with a mix of strong drama and engaging moments.

Shyam Katu (Sathyaraj) is a well-known psychiatrist who lives with his granddaughter Nidhi (Meghana). One day, Nidhi goes missing, and Shyam files a police complaint. The cops act quickly and assign Constable Satya (Satyam Rajesh) to handle the case. As the investigation progresses, Shyam learns that a young man named Ram (Vasistha Simha) is also connected to the missing case. When the police struggle to trace the girl, Shyam decides to take matters into his own hands, plunging into action and leading the search himself.
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Tribanadhari Barbarik is backed by director Maruthi and has been written and directed by Mohan Srivatsa. He has based his story on the character of Barbarik, the lesser-known figure from the Mahabharata. He generally does not come into the picture, but once he does, Barbarik can kill anyone in one go.
Well, the same has been applied to Sathyaraj's character, who is an old doctor leading a happy life with his granddaughter. Things change when she is kidnapped, and no one has a clue about her. What happens when such a man goes all out to bring the culprits to light is the basic story of the film.
Director Mohan Srivatsa does not add any unnecessary commercial elements, comes to the point, and takes you deep into the story. Once the scenes of the girl going missing, the character of Vasishta getting introduced, and the crime setup are established nicely, the first half of the film ends on a very interesting note, and the stage is set for the main twist to be unveiled in the second half.
The manner in which the culprit is revealed is nicely thought out. When you watch the proceedings, you get an idea that a particular character is behind the kidnapping, but the exact opposite happens, and this aspect has been showcased quite well. However, there are a few issues with the film. Once the story is neatly established, a love track featuring Vasishta and the heroine deviates the film a bit. Barbarik has multiple subplots, and each of them takes its own time to get unleashed.
Udaya Bhanu makes her comeback to Telugu cinema and plays a lady don in the film. One gets a feeling that she is wasted in the setup and does not bring any depth to the proceedings. Also, the character of Satyam Rajesh, who plays the cop, does not do much.
The manner in which the cops take a backseat, and the constable is sidelined while the character of Sathyaraj takes center stage, is a bit over the top. But director Mohan sets up things in such a way that all the dots are connected properly by the end.
The best part of the film is the crisp runtime, which does not drag. Yet another drawback of the film is the emotional touch. The main lead, Sathyaraj's character, is not handled properly, as he does not showcase much emotion despite his granddaughter going missing. The tension that an old man needs to generate when someone in his family is missing is not brought out well, and this is the director's mistake.
Coming to the performances, Sathyaraj gets a tailor-made role and performs with ease. He is especially good in the last fifteen minutes of the film. Vasishta N. Simha gets a great role and is very good. He is a versatile actor who looks good in songs and in romance. At the same time, the way he brought out his negative side is also very good. Satyam Rajesh is just about okay.
As said earlier, Udaya Bhanu has nothing much to do. Kushender Ramesh's camerawork is good, and the night visuals are amazing. The BGM and music by Infusion Band are very good. The dialogues and the reference to the mythology angle have been done well. Finally, Tribanadhari Barbarik is made with a lot of honesty and has gripping moments that keep you engaged.
On the whole, Tribanadhari Barbarik is a crime thriller which has simple story but the manner in which it is narrated with decent thrills makes things interesting. Though it falls short of emotions in a few scenes, thrill-wise it gives what you expect.
Q. What are Vasishta N. Simha's new Telugu films?
A. Vasishta N. Simha is gearing up for his new release, Tribanadhari Barbarik.
Q. Who are the main leads in Tribandhari Barbarik?
A. Tribanadhari Barbarik has Sathyaraj, Vasishta N. Simha, Udaya Bhanu and Satyam Rajesh in key roles.
Q. Which film is anchor Udaya Bhanu making a comeback with?
A. Udaya Bhanu makes her comeback with Tribanadhari Barbarik, a mythological social drama.
Q. When is Tribandhari Barbarik hitting the big screen?
A. Tribanadhari Barbarik was released on August 29, 2025.
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