Cult Movie Review:
Despite a string of failures, actor-director Vishwak Sen has been delivering one film after another. His latest film, Cult has Vishwak taking charge as both the lead actor and director. The slasher thriller, which also stars Gayatri Bharadwaj, Murali Sharma, Srikanth Iyengar and Tarak Ponnappa, was expected to be his much-expected return to commercial success. But did it?
Director: Vishwak Sen
Cast: Vishwak Sen, Gayatri Bharadwaj, Murali Sharma, Srikanth Iyengar, Tarak Ponnappa and others
Elvin (Tarak Ponnappa), the son of Home Minister (Murali Sharma), wants to celebrate his birthday on a grand scale. Despite his father's objections due to the upcoming elections, Elvin insists on hosting a lavish birthday party in Goa. During the party, a digital doll appearing on a screen takes charge of the event and announces a game, asking everyone on the dance floor to follow her instructions. Those who take the game lightly end up being brutally murdered. This creates panic. DSP Sankalp Naik (Vishwak Sen) is also present at the venue. After noticing the unusual incidents, he starts investigating the reason behind the murders. Who is responsible for these killings? Why are only certain people at the party being targeted? The rest of the film revolves around these questions.
With Cult, Vishwak Sen has attempted to present an action slasher psychological thriller, which sounds like an interesting genre. However, despite the different treatment, the story itself turns out to be a routine revenge drama. He focuses more on violence and gore rather than developing an engaging story. More than that, he makes his appearance on screen just ten minutes before the interval, and until then, the film really tests the patience of the audience.
The film begins with the birthday celebrations of a minister's son, who is addicted to alcohol and drugs. Meanwhile, three youngsters from Hyderabad arrive in Goa with a passion for cinema and spend their time partying, visiting pubs and drinking. Vishwak, as the director, drags these portions for far too long. Once Vishwak enters the proceedings, the film gets somewhat better, but even then, most of the scenes revolve around violence.
One expects something interesting and different in the second half, but even there, the proceedings are largely about heads, bodies, arms and legs being chopped off. Apart from the reasoning behind the entire game and its machinations, the film offers very little that feels fresh. The climax fight, in particular, looks so ridiculous that it feels as though the makers have completely underestimated the audience.
Vishwak appears in a stylish suit and takes on the villains with his signature style. He does a decent job as a police officer, with a few comic punchlines thrown in between. Gayatri Bharadwaj has very little scope to perform, and there is not much to talk about her character. Tarak Ponnappa gets a familiar role, but his performance is loud and over the top. Murali Sharma, Srikanth Iyengar and the other artistes deliver routine performances. Ravi Basrur's music is average.
The entire story also takes place largely within a single place. Experimenting with a new genre and trying to tell a story differently are always welcome. However, presenting the chosen concept effectively on screen is equally important, and in that aspect, Vishwak Sen fails. He should have focusesd more on the story and established a stronger backdrop for the villain holding all those people hostage in a pub. The film has excessive violence and bloodshed. Anyway, the actor himself said that the film is not for everyone and suggested that those who may not like such content should maintain a distance from it. So be it, then.
