Palaekarikula kshatriyan: creating.

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{{Short description|2026 Indian Kannada-language film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Cult
| image = Cult (2026 film).jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Anil Kumar
| producer = {{Plainlist|
* K. S. Suraj Gowda
* K. V. Sathyaprakash
}}
| writer = Jadesh K Hampi
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* Zaid Khan
* [[Rachita Ram]]
* Malaika Vasupal
}}
| music = [[Arjun Janya]]
| cinematography = Jagadish Wali
| editing = [[K. M. Prakash]]
| studio = Loki Cinemas <br> [[KVN Productions]]
| released = {{Film date|2026|1|23|df=y}}
| country = India
| language = Kannada
| gross = 
}}

'''''Cult''''' is a 2026 Indian [[Kannada]]-language [[action drama film|action drama]] film written and directed by Anil Kumar,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/news/2025/Sep/13/anil-kumar-cult-is-designed-for-a-new-generation|title=Anil Kumar: Cult is designed for a new generation|work=Cinema Express|date=13 September 2025}}</ref> and produced by Loki Cinemas in association with [[KVN Productions]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/kannada/2025/Feb/08/kvn-productions-presents-zaid-khans-cult|title=KVN Productions presents Zaid Khan's 'Cult'|work=The New Indian Express|date=8 February 2025}}</ref> It features Zaid Khan, [[Rachita Ram]] and Malaika Vasupal in the lead roles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/kannada/2024/Sep/05/malaika-vasupal-joins-the-cast-of-cult|title=Malaika Vasupal joins the cast of Cult|work=The New Indian Express|date=5 September 2024}}</ref> Cinematography is by Jagadish Wali, editing by [[K. M. Prakash]], and music composed by [[Arjun Janya]].

The film was officially announced in April 2024 and the pre-production phase and casting began thereafter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/kannada/2024/Apr/11/zaid-khans-next-titled-cult-first-look-poster-out-2|title=Zaid Khan's next titled Cult; First-look poster out|work=The New Indian Express|date=11 April 2024}}</ref> It was released on 23 January 2026.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/kannada/2025/Oct/07/kannadanews2025oct07cult-gears-up-for-a-grand-release-in-january-2026|title=Cult gears up for a grand release in January, 2026|work=The New Indian Express|date=7 October 2025}}</ref>

== Plot ==
Madhava, known as Maddy, is introduced in Manipal as a college dropout drifting through days of drinking and erratic behaviour, his friend DJ Joy repeatedly cleaning up after him. His bitterness toward love is rooted in a village‑days romance with Geetha: the film intercuts his present rut with flashbacks to their adolescent courtship and promises before both leave for higher studies—he to Manipal, she to Bengaluru. Contact grows difficult; when Maddy eventually finds her, Geetha has embraced a different city life and moved on, which shatters him and sends him deeper into self‑destruction. Maddy’s cigarettes marked with Geetha’s name—underline an obsession he cannot shake, while his father’s restrained presence signals a home that cannot rescue him from his spiral.

A chance meeting with Ithihasini (Ithi) pivots the narrative from grievance to tentative repair. As Maddy and Ithi cross paths in the city, the film gradually reveals Ithi’s own history—her close bond with her father, a Hampi guide, and a private trauma that she carries without melodrama. Their relationship develops cautiously; Ithi’s steadiness helps Maddy confront his anger and the small‑town ideals he has weaponised against a changing world. When Maddy is forced to reckon with Geetha’s choices and the man he has become since losing her, the story narrows to whether he will remain trapped in resentment or accept a future shaped by accountability and empathy.

== Cast ==
{{cast listing|
* Zaid Khan as Madhava
* [[Rachita Ram]] as Ithi
* Malaika Vasupal as Geetha
* [[Rangayana Raghu]]
* [[Achyuth Kumar]]
* Kishan Bilagali
}}

== Music ==
The soundtrack and background score is composed by [[Arjun Janya]], with lyrics contributed by Anil Kumar and others. The first single, "Ayyo Shivane", was released on 10 September 2025 across major streaming platforms and Anand Audio's official YouTube channel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/news/2025/Sep/06/zaid-khans-cult-set-to-drop-its-first-song-ayyo-shivane|title=Zaid Khan's Cult set to drop its first song Ayyo Shivane|work=Cinema Express|date=6 September 2025}}</ref> The single, written by director Anil Kumar and sung by Jaskaran Singh and Prithvi Bhatt, was released during the film's promotions in 2025.

{{Track listing
| headline = Track listing
| total_length =
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| title1 = Ayyo Shivane
| extra1 = Jaskaran Singh, Prithwi Bhat
| lyrics1 = Anil Kumar
| length1 = 4:32
| title2 = Bloody Love
| extra2 = [[Chandan Shetty]]
| lyrics2 = Anil Kumar
| length2 = 4:20
| title3 = Hrudayavu Kelade
| extra3 = Darshan Melavanki, Lahari Mahesh
| lyrics3 = Anil Kumar
| length3 = 4:40
| title4 = Pathos song
| extra4 = Nishan Rai
| lyrics4 = Anil Kumar <br> Nishan Rai ({{small|English lyrics}})
| length4 = 5:41
}}

==Reception==
A Sharadhaa of [[The New Indian Express]] said that "It captures the confusion of first love, the bitterness of betrayal, and the gradual loss of trust with authentic realism."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharadhaa |first=A. |date=2026-01-24 |title=Cult Movie Review: A fresh breeze through the familiar story of love and heartbreak |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/review/2026/Jan/24/kannadareview2026jan24cult-movie-review-a-fresh-breeze-through-the-familiar-story-of-love-and-heartbreak |access-date=2026-01-28 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> Vivek M.V. of [[The Hindu]] said "Cult opens on a deliberately unsettling note, introducing its protagonist in a state of physical and emotional ruin — and in doing so leans into outdated depictions of heartbreak that equate male suffering with bitterness toward women, making its portrayal of love and gender more regressive than reflective."<ref>{{Cite news |last=M.V |first=Vivek |date=2026-01-24 |title=‘Cult’ movie review: An earnest Zaid Khan cannot save this utterly regressive tale of love |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/cult-movie-review-zaid-khan-anil-kumar-rachita-ram-malaika-vasupal-regressive-tale-of-love/article70546100.ece |access-date=2026-01-28 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|tt33334281}}
[[Category:Kannada-language action drama films]]
[[Category:Indian crime drama films]]
[[Category:2026 Kannada-language films]]
[[Category:2026 Indian films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Arjun Janya]]
[[Category:Films shot in Bengaluru]]
[[Category:Films about alcoholism]]
[[Category:Films about depression]]
[[Category:Films about mental health]]
[[Category:Films set in Karnataka]]
[[Category:Films shot in Karnataka]]
[[Category:Indian psychological drama films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic drama films]]

Cult (2026 film) - Revision history

Palaekarikula kshatriyan: creating.