Cult Movie Review

Vishwak Sen once again wielded Megaphone for #Cult after Falaknuma Das and Das Ka Dhamki. He is also the writer of the film. This time he chose to make India’s First Slasher film which also boasts of 150 newcomers in the supporting roles. The movie is clashing with Victory Venkatesh and Trivikram Srinivas’ Aadarsha Kutumbham at the Box Office. Let us see if he is able to impress the audiences!

What is the Movie About?

Goa Home Minister’s son (Tarak Ponnappa) hosts a grand birthday in a secluded building. However, a Psycho also enters the crowd and begins to make the guests play games that takes lives. The rest of the story is how a cop, Sanki (Vishwak Sen) who is also present in the party help the crowd to survive until 6 AM next day.

Performances:

Vishwak Sen plays a badass cop in the film which requires him to be full of attitude and swag. He pulled it off effortlessly. There are some sequences in which he should look confused and panicking. He pulled them as well comfortably. Moreoever, he looks fit after a long time. Gayathri Bhardwaj looks good and she is fine in a little role she was offered. Tarak Ponnappa plays a Psycho Villain but his role lacks proper substance.

Murali Sharma and Srikanth Iyengar are okay in little roles. The young chaps – Karthikeya, Ezy, and Anirudh Bhaskar are good as friends. Anirudh Bhaskar, in particular, brought some much-needed laughs in the first half in this other-wise serious film. There are about 150 new artists in the film and they are fine.

Technicalities:

Vishwak Sen has written and directed #Cult. The idea of India’s first Slasher film is interesting. But then, as a writer, he got himself entangled in many limitations. However, he did a good job as a director. Tharun Bhascker wrote the dialogues and there are very few sparks in that department. Ravi Basrur is the hero of the film. The background score is excellent and enhanced the impact of many action sequences. There is this #Cult theme which has got many versions in the film and every version worked very well for the on-screen experience. There are no songs in the film. 

The visuals by Aravind Viswanathan are alright. Arvind Mule’s Production Design is okay for a film that happens mostly in a single location. Stunts are very good. The Production Values by Tarak Cinemas are adequate.

Positives:

1. Vishwak Sen’s Performance
2. Background Score
3. A Few Action Blocks

Negatives:

1. A Very Predictable Story
2. Excessive Gore
3. Very Convenient Antagonist Track

Analysis:

Cult was promoted as India’s first slasher film. Vishwak Sen should be appreciated for attempting a new genre that much of our audience isn’t familiar with. However, the major issue with the film is its predictable narration. The genre may be new for our audience but the way the story was told isn’t new. Another big unintentional issue with the film is its release timing. The viewing experience may have been different had the film been released a year ago or so. But, it was released at a time when the audience was so fed up with watching film with excessive blood and gore week after week since the last about an year. While watching the Cult, it felt like we were experiencing yet another so-called action drama film with needless gore.

Another major issue with the film is its predictability. Almost every character behaves in a very predictable manner and almost every sequence unfolds in a very familiar way. The action blocks were shot well but the violence and the gore shown during the Slasher games weren’t exciting. Does an antagonist definitely need to have a backstory to justify his cruel actions? Unfortunately, a majority of our directors seem to be under the impression that the answer to the above question is a ‘yes’. Vishwak Sen seemed to have thought th same and gave a backstory to evoke sympathy for the antagonist among the audience but it felt needless. An antagonist and his actions can be unapologetic. Especially, for niche genres, the more the antagonist behaves unapologetically, the more the character feels authentic. The needless backstory and explanation to justify the antagonist character, worked against the film.

Cult has a few good, well-shot action blocks and a good background score but apart from these two things, there’s not much the film can offer. Vishwak Sen’s intent to come up with a fresh genre is for sure to be appreciated. People who like films in niche genres, may like the film to an extent but others, may find it yet another film that glorifies blood and gore.

Bottom line: ‘Predictable’ Cult

Rating: 2/5