BOTTOM LINE
Cult Attempt, but Nothing Cult
RATING
1.75/5
Story, Screenplay,Director: Vishwaksen
Cast: Vishwak Sen, Gayatri Bharadwaj, Tarak Ponnapa, Murali Sharma, Srikanth Iyenger, Karthikeya
Music Director: Ravi Basrur
DOP: Aravind Viswanathan
Editor: Ravi Teja Girijala
Producer: Sandeep Kakarala
Presented By: Tarak Cinemas
Production Company: Tarak Cinemas
U.S. Distributor: Cognier Cine Creations
Related Links: Trailer
What Is the Film About?
Elwin (Tarak Ponnappa) is the son of the Goa Home Minister. It’s his birthday, and he plans a grand party, inviting all the country’s top hotshot kids. What happens when everyone is locked inside the Cult club, and strangers start to kill the party members one by one?
Who is Satya Nayak (Vishwak Sen)? The basic story is how he saves the day and finds out the truth behind the mass killings.
Performances
Vishwak Sen, playing the hero, appears before the interval. He presents himself well (being a director) and plays to his action strengths.
The movie offers very little performance-wise. It is all about attitude and fighting. Vishwak Sen does well on both counts. While over-the-top attitude is nothing new for Vishwak Sen, the curiosity here is about pulling off the gory action. He does well on that account, too.
Gayatri Bharadwaj looks good, but when it comes to acting, there is hardly anything worthwhile. She has to look tense, which she does decently, but there’s nothing else.
Analysis
Vishwak Sen writes the story and screenplay and directs Cult. It’s a slasher-genre film, but it is also heavily inspired by Squid Game in its setting.
The premise both excites and falls flat. Much of the movie happens in a single location. Here, the main characters play games, and if they fail to win, they are murdered.
Because most of the narrative, barring the climax, rests on the gore, violence, and shock factor of the games, the action has to work. However, that doesn’t happen here. But that is only one part; the other is having some emotional connection to the characters so we fear something happening to them. Neither happens here, despite the attempt to go that direction.
The action bits are well shot, but they lack punch. Nothing about them is thrilling or tense, and everything feels familiar. Further, we don’t connect to any of the characters when the action begins. And this is after spending a lot of time to bring that connection.
The opening half an hour takes time to set up the various characters and their bond. They lack depth and appear flat. Because we already know what will happen to them (i.e., they’re trapped), the entire sequence until they reach the location drags. The fun involving the friends being normal is what slows it down. One wants to jump to the action.
The main action starts around the pre-interval mark just before the hero’s entry. The gore works well in the first sequence, but it loses its sheen and shock as soon as the hero is introduced. The interval bang is pretty normal too.
Post-interval, some confusion prevails initially, and the proceedings continue to drag. Only when the movie reveals something new about the main antagonist does it regain momentum.
The first flashback, which reveals the man behind the mayhem and how he pulls it off, is the movie’s best part. However, another reveal later in the climax undercuts the impact by pulling the narrative into a routine, predictable zone. It’s okay, but lacks freshness. The ending, however, is extremely silly the way it’s done.
In the end, Cult aims to be a cool slasher thriller for a young audience with lots of blood and gore. However, it fails on all counts and delivers only surface-level content.
Overall, Cult is an action movie with lots of blood and gore. It has a unique setting, though it’s heavily inspired. However, it fails to deliver in the key elements that make the genre flick enjoyable. It’s one-note for the most part and takes a predictable turn toward the end, making it a routine, dull outing.
Performances by Other Actors
We see a lot of faces in the movie, but none leave an impact, as the focus shifts entirely to the hero after a point. The friends gang (Karthikeya, Anirudh Bhaskar and EZY) show potential, but they get underwhelming as the narrative moves forward. Vishak Nair shines in brief moments toward the end, whereas Tarak Ponnappa overacts. Seniors like Murali Sharma and Srikanth Iyenger are loud and do their routine.
Music and Other Departments?
Ravi Basrur provides the music. The narrative consists of no songs. The background score is key, and it dominates the proceedings alongside the action. It is loud, but it’s in sync with the tone. The last half an hour is better on this front. The cinematography feels too in-your-face in its colours and overall tone for the setting. The editing is fine. The writing, consisting of a lot of cuss words, is okay. Tharun Bhascker’s writing, with its heavy use of cuss words, is okay. A few one-liners coming at the most unexpected times, a trademark of his, are fine.
Highlights?
Basic Idea
Villain Flashback
Action Scenes
BGM
Drawbacks?
Wafer-thin Story
Initial Half an Hour
Routine Climax
Silly Ending
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
#Cult 2026 Telugu Movie Reviewed by Kalyan
