CULT EPISODE w/ VISHWAK SEN | EP #155

Conversation Overview

The episode opens with a promo for Permit Room’s filmmaking course, then host Sree Saran welcomes actor-filmmaker Vishwak Sen for a wide-ranging, joke-filled conversation. Sen describes a hectic Dussehra spent juggling promotions and post-production, while still making time for family traditions—including a towering Ravana effigy and the customary feast of mutton.

Staying Grounded and Managing a Demanding Schedule

Sen relies on a close circle of childhood friends who have known him since he was young and don’t treat him differently because he’s an actor. They give him blunt reality checks about his films, as does his family. After one disappointing release, Sen tried to read his family’s faces for reassurance, then escaped with friends to a music festival. The feelings caught up with him later on the flight home. The story’s humor comes from the mismatch between his search for comfort and everyone’s unhelpfully cryptic responses.

He also reflects on the strain of making several films back-to-back. After working from early morning through the following afternoon, he sometimes had another call time at dawn. The pace took a toll on his mental and physical health, leading him to adopt a “one day at a time” approach. He describes the exhausting schedule on Cult, including a long stretch of shooting that left him dehydrated and in need of hospital care.

Childhood and Early Film Interests

At school, Sen says, maths was his standout subject, while his other grades were less impressive. His family enrolled him in dance, gymnastics, drawing and other classes. He remembers being so reluctant to perform that his teacher had to physically coax him into dancing.

His school stories also reveal how seriously he planned for fights. His father was a karate instructor, and there were nunchucks at home. Sen imagined carrying them in his bag, although much of his “revenge” remained at the planning stage.

His fascination with films grew through repeat listens to movie cassettes on family road trips. He later learned programs such as Photoshop, Premiere and Maya, which helped him understand editing and filmmaking. He shares a chaotic account of auditions and early film work, including odd instructions that embarrassed him in retrospect. His experience with Angamaly Diaries was especially unusual: he began shooting festival scenes before the rights were fully secured, then waited months for the project to come together.

Comedy, Directing and Film Choices

Sen says drama can often be built from what’s on the page, but comedy is harder. A performer’s natural humor works only when it fits the character. He likes dry humor and deadpan performances, and is open to suggestions from his crew as a director—as long as the set can still make its own discoveries. Sen and Saran joke that every department can have an opinion, and that a director has to decide which ideas help rather than turn the film into a “khichdi.”

Their film discussion ranges from the timing of songs for Gangs of Godavari to the challenges of remakes such as Ori Devuda. Sen tries not to obsessively compare a remake with the original, though he admits to overthinking his own performances. He also explains that remuneration usually comes late in discussions: he doesn’t want money to be the reason he walks away from a story he believes in.

Lifestyle and Travel

Sen talks about drinking less, trying to manage his diet and struggling most with sleep. Solo travel helps him reset. He recalls a 38-day backpacking trip around India when he was 17 and names Barcelona as a place that feels like a second home. His travel stories bring more comic detours, including fumbling through European language barriers and joking that Spanish people feel a bit like people back home.

Personalities

• Vishwak Sen — Guest
• Sree Saran — Host