Reception
The film collected an estimated Rs 51 lakh gross in India on its opening day.
Yashaswini Sri of Indian Express writes "Varavu is not a reinvention. It is Shaji Kailas doing what Shaji Kailas does, with a lead actor who brings enough weight and nuance to elevate the material beyond its template. If you walk in wanting a grounded, well-acted mass thriller with strong action and a slow-burn revenge arc, it fumbles here and there but delivers".
Princy Alexander of Onmanorama says that the film's biggest strength is Murali Gopy who commands every scene with quiet menace, delivering sharp dialogues with conviction. She credits him for a measured performance adding that Joju George delivered another committed performance, balancing vulnerability with authority. She concludes that Varavu managed to stay firmly within the cinematic template, seldom attempting to reinvent that formula or surprise its audience, but it delivers some action and a few emotional highs to keep fans engaged.
S.R. Praveen of The Hindu says that Varavu is the kind of film that gives one the feeling that the action sequences were probably planned out first, with an excuse of a storyline added later. He adds that the film has one element of mystery, related to the disappearance of a character, which could have been used effectively to create some interest in the narrative.
Vivek Santhosh of Cinema Express writes that the lead actor Joju George throws plenty of punches throughout, but this formulaic affair remains trapped in an old style of storytelling. He adds that Varavu tries to work as a mystery-tinged, action-packed revenge drama, moving between family tragedy and one fight after another.
Sreeju Sudhakaran of Rediff says that n Varavu, one can see Kailas trying to modernise his visual style, but the effort doesn't always succeed. "His trademark flourishes, rapid zoom-ins and zoom-outs, criss-cross editing and stylised slow motion, are all present, but they now feel dated," he adds.
Vishal Menon of The Hollywood Reporter India gave the film a negative review, describing it as a "gratingly old-school action drama" with a clueless lead performance by Joju George, criticising its over-reliance on dated commercial tropes and jarring, unintentional humour during the action sequences.
