Cult Review: Does Vishwak Sen’s Survival Thriller Deliver the Thrills?

Release Date: October 30, 2026

Starring: Vishwak Sen, Gayatri Bharadwaj, Tarak Ponnappa, Murali Sharma and others

Director: Vishwak Sen

Producers: Sandeep Kakarala

Music Director: Ravi Basrur

Cinematographer: Aravind Vishwanathan

Editor: Ravi Teja Girijala

Story:

Elvin (Tarak Ponnappa), the son of Goa's Home Minister, organises a lavish birthday party and invites several influential personalities from across the country. What begins as a grand celebration soon turns into a terrifying survival game when a series of murders takes place at the venue. With explosives planted around the location, the guests find themselves trapped, leaving the police with little opportunity to rescue them. DSP Sankalp Nayak (Vishwak Sen), who is also attending the party, takes charge of the situation and attempts to save everyone.

Plus Points:

Vishwak Sen is one of the film's biggest strengths. His screen presence, attitude and action sequences stand out, particularly because the role suits his strengths as an actor. Tarak Ponnappa's frustration-driven comedy provides a few entertaining moments. The film picks up momentum towards the final stages, especially when the trapped guests gather courage and decide to fight back against the perpetrators.

The emotional backstory is handled reasonably well. Vivek Chepuri delivers a convincing performance as the antagonist. Gayatri Bharadwaj, Murali Sharma, Srikanth Iyengar, Karthikeya, Anirudh Bhaskar, EZY and the rest of the supporting cast perform adequately. The final 30 minutes also offer some engaging moments.

Minus Points:

As a survival thriller, Cult needs to maintain tension and make audiences emotionally connect with the characters' struggle to stay alive. However, despite the graphic violence and bloodshed, the film fails to create the required suspense. Although it openly draws inspiration from Squid Game, the survival games lack excitement and intensity. Some of these sequences even appear unconvincing.

The narrative struggles to establish momentum before Vishwak Sen's entry, despite having an interesting premise. While the interval episode is effective, the screenplay loses its grip in the post-interval portions. The second half could have benefited from tighter editing and better-paced sequences.

Technical Aspects:

Ravi Basrur's background score is energetic and enhances the impact of several action sequences. Cinematographer Aravind Vishwanathan captures the action effectively, while the production design creates an appropriate atmosphere for the elaborate birthday party setting. However, the editing by Ravi Teja Girijala could have been sharper.

Vishwak Sen performs well in the action sequences, but his direction works only in parts. The intention to deliver a stylish survival thriller is evident, although the execution does not consistently match the ambition of the concept.

Verdict:

On the whole, Cult is an average survival thriller with a few engaging moments. Vishwak Sen impresses with his action and screen presence, while the final 30 minutes offer some interesting sequences. However, the lack of tension, underwhelming survival games and uneven screenplay prevent the film from becoming a completely satisfying thriller.