The film begins in the Chandraprabha Dynasty with King Jayachandra deserting a woman, Vasundhara, after she gives birth to a baby boy. Distraught, Jayachandra searches for her, but on a stormy night, Vasundhara loses her child, who is then found and raised by a tribal chieftain as Vijay. Shattered, Vasundhara attempts suicide but is saved by a hermit, Jamadagni, who consoles her and gives her a flower that will bloom as long as her son is alive. Years pass, and Vijay grows into a brave and courteous young man.
Vijay's foster family aspires to obtain a divine liquid from a special tree that grants youthfulness. He sets off with his brother Kondanna, where he meets and falls in love with Princess Padmavati, the daughter of King Brahmananda Bhupathi, who reciprocates his feelings. One night, Vijay sneaks into the palace to meet Padmavati, successfully evading the guards. Meanwhile, Jayachandra is blinded, and his foolish sons, Uttar and Dakshin, take over the throne, exiling him to the desert. Brahmananda invites the princes to a Swayamvaram to marry Padmavati, honoring a promise to Jayachandra. Vijay, disguised as a prince, attends with Kondanna. When his true identity is revealed, he flees, but Padmavati declares her intention to marry him.
The story shifts to Bhairava Dweepam, a mysterious island where the evil wizard Bhairava seeks immortality by sacrificing a virgin's blood to Goddess Kali. On a full moon night, Bhairava kidnaps Padmavati from the palace. She is put into a trance and taken to the island to be sacrificed. The next morning, Padmavati remembers fragments of the night's events and falls ill, with doctors diagnosing her condition as black magic. Brahmananda accuses Vijay and has him captured and tortured. Learning of Padmavati's plight, Vijay escapes to rescue her. He reaches Jamadagni's ashram, where Vasundhara cares for him and gives him a bracelet to protect him from evil.
On the full moon night, Vijay sneaks into the palace and sees a green fog transporting Padmavati. Protected by his bracelet, he follows the fog to the island. There, he breaks the curse of a nymph who gives him a ring that can reverse Bhairava's magic and warns him not to confront the wizard yet. Vijay uses the ring to bring Padmavati out of her trance and escapes with her on a magic bed. Bhairava attacks them with a dragon, causing Vijay to fall into the sea. A pair of mischievous devils find him and recount their past as Bhairava's servants, who were freed by the kick of a blind Jayachandra. Grateful, Jayachandra asks them for food, but a flying horse prevents him from eating as punishment. The devils request Vijay's help, and with his music, Vijay convinces the horse to restore Jayachandra's vision.
The horse grants Vijay a boon to transport him to mysterious places. The devils inform Vijay about a Satha-Ratna necklace that can protect Padmavati, located in Yakshinilokam. Vijay embarks on this journey, asking Jayachandra to stay in their village. Meanwhile, Brahmananda offers half his kingdom and Padmavati's hand to anyone who rescues her. With the help of four Lilliputians, Vijay reaches Yakshinilokam, deceives a Yakshiki, and wins the necklace after many challenges. Angered, the Yakshini curses Vijay, turning him into a vile creature, but tells him the necklace will be effective unless it falls or he reveals himself. At Jamadagni's ashram, the flower darkens, worrying Vasundhara, but Jamadagni reassures her that her son is safe.
Vijay, in disguise, manages to place the necklace on Padmavati. Brahmananda reluctantly arranges a wedding between the cursed Vijay and Padmavati. Bhairava's acolyte, disguised as a priest, claims Vijay stole the necklace. Padmavati throws it away, and Bhairava abducts her. Vijay rushes to Jamadagni's ashram for help, where Vasundhara recognizes him as her son. Following Jamadagni's instructions, Vijay calls the magic horse, but it cannot transport him due to the curse. Vasundhara takes on the curse, allowing Vijay to ride the horse to Bhairava Dweepam. Vijay defeats Bhairava, and the island collapses. The Goddess appears and lifts Vasundhara's curse. The film concludes with Vijay and Padmavati's marriage and the union of the Chandraprabha and Karthikeya dynasties.
Raavi Kondala Rao wrote the story of Bhariava Dweepam on the lines of Pathala Bhairavi (1951). Singeetam Srinivasa Rao took up the direction duties and Nandamuri Balakrishna immediately accepted the film as it closely resembled Pathala Bhairavi in which his father N. T. Rama Rao played the lead role. The antagonist Bhariavudu was inspired from Nepala Matrikudu from Pathala Bhairavi. Several actors including Nana Patekar and Amrish Puri were considered for the role. However, the producer was convinced actor Malayalam actor Rajkumar was right for the role after watching him in Vietnam Colony (1992). He was given screen name Vijaya Rangaraju (to resemble S. V. Ranga Rao who played Nepali Matrikudu) for his debut in Telugu cinema.[4]
Principal photography of the film began on 23 June 1993 at the Vijaya Vauhini Studios in Madras.[4] Balakrishna plays a prince who later becomes a hunchback in the film.[7]
The film was praised for its costumes, music and technicality.[8] K. Vijiyan of New Straits Times while reviewing the Tamil dubbed version Vijaya Prathapan praised Balakrishna's performance, the special effects and production design, calling it an "enjoyable 'raja-rani' film".[9]
Legacy
Hemanth Kumar CR writing for Vogue India in February 2020 noted, "[Bhairava Dweepam] is a quintessential fantasy film that pays homage to several mythical elements in popular Telugu folklore." Further, he listed it among the seven Telugu films to watch for fans of fantasy genre.[5] Karthik Keramulu of Film Companion in July 2021 opined that it is one of the better made fantasy films in Telugu cinema and wrote, "The highlights of Bhairava Dweepam are a flying bed and a swashbuckling hero."[6]
Actor and producer Nandamuri Kalyan Ram cited Bhairava Dweepam as one of his favourite films and an inspiration for producing the film Bimbisara (2022).[10]
