Vishwak Sen reveals why he took over ‘Cult’ direction; says he wanted to take responsibility for his comeback

Telugu actor Vishwak Sen will be next seen with this upcoming action drama ‘Cult’ which he leads as well as directs, marking his directorial debut. Recently, the actor said he decided to direct the film after the failure of his previous release, ‘Laila’, and wanted to take responsibility for his comeback.

According to a report by Cinema Express, speaking about his mindset, Vishwak Sen said, “Don't take the anxiety, depression and anger into you, as you have to give them to others.”Vishwak Sen apologises to Tazuddin Vishwak also apologised to Tazuddin, who was initially announced as the director of ‘Cult’. He said Tazuddin is one of his acting gurus and that he continues to approach him whenever he has doubts about his performances.“When the film was launched, we announced Tazuddin garu as the director.

But I want to apologise to him because I have taken over the direction. Tazuddin garu is one of my acting gurus, and whenever I have any doubts, I go to him and attend a workshop,” Vishwak said.

He explained that he initially asked Tazuddin to direct the film but later decided to handle the direction himself once production began. The actor added that he does not believe in ghost-directing a film while giving someone else the credit.‘Laila’ failure inspired Vishwak’s comeback Vishwak admitted that his recent films had not performed as expected at the box office.

However, he said he did not blame his directors because filmmaking is a team effort and several factors contribute to a film’s success or failure.“The reason behind doing Cult is that I have seen unexpected flops continuously. I always believe my directors blindly, but I never blame them for the failures because we all worked as a team, and there are so many reasons for the failures,” he said.

He recalled feeling low after ‘Laila’ and spending time at home. His elder brother later encouraged him, telling him, “Your weapon is in your hands.” Vishwak said the words helped him realise that his comeback was his own responsibility.

About the film and the cast of ‘Cult’Vishwak Sen further shared that around 150 professional actors worked on the film and thanked them for their contribution. He also revealed that ‘Cult’ has been dubbed into Japanese and Spanish.

The film stars Gayatri Bharadwaj as the female lead and Tarak Ponnappa as the antagonist, with Murali Sharma and Srikanth Iyengar in key roles. Tharun Bhascker has written the dialogues, Aravind Viswanathan is the cinematographer, and Ravi Basrur has composed the music.‘Cult’ is scheduled to release in theatres on October 30, 2026.

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Key quotes

• “Don't take the anxiety, depression and anger into you, as you have to give them to others.”

• “When the film was launched, we announced Tazuddin garu as the director. But I want to apologise to him because I have taken over the direction. Tazuddin garu is one of my acting gurus, and whenever I have any doubts, I go to him and attend a workshop,”

• “The reason behind doing Cult is that I have seen unexpected flops continuously. I always believe my directors blindly, but I never blame them for the failures because we all worked as a team, and there are so many reasons for the failures,”

• “Your weapon is in your hands.”