Vishwanath and Sons, Directed by Venky Atluri and starring Suriya alongside Mamitha Baiju and Radhika Sarathkumar. Here is our review of the latest Box Office release.
Plot:
Sanjay Vishwanath, a former Olympic shooter in his 40s, is raised by a devoted mother. Seeking parenthood later in life, Sanjay faces a crisis when his infant son develops a severe medical condition requiring an urgent transplant. While searching for a donor, his path crosses with Maddy, a spirited woman in her 20s.
Soon, Maddy develops romantic feelings for Sanjay, bringing their 20-year age gap into focus. Hesitant due to his maturity and paternal duties, Sanjay struggles against societal expectations and personal doubts. Will he ever marry Maddy?
Performances and Technical Departments:
Suriya's understated performances is impactful. His grudging behavior in the presence of the bubbly female lead makes for entertainment. Drawing from the emotional bandwidth of his performances in some of his noted movies in the last two decades, he makes his performance praiseworthy. After a heroic role in Karuppu, he plays Sanjay with a disciplined posture and expressive eyes. In the first half, his reactions to Maddy’s playful advances drive the comedy, while the second half is where he brings his signature emotional gravity to support the melodrama.
Mamitha's natural charm and infectious comic timing give her an edge. In her breakout role in Premalu, it is that energy that gave her instant fame. During the entertaining first half, she is spontaneous, breezy, and unapologetically bold as she pursues the male lead. As the narrative transitions into melodrama, she brings a different dimension, ensuring Maddy's deep connection feels genuine rather than overbearing. Radhika Sarathkumar, as the hero's mother, brings warmth and maternal authority as the devoted mother who shaped her son's discipline. Raveena Tandon is okay.
Nimish Ravi's smooth, fluid camera movements are lush with energy. Navin Nooli's editing lets the longer, lingering reactions of the actors hold themselves. Bangalan's production design is thoughtfully done. GV Prakash Kumar's background score is applause-worthy. The key romantic single (Neno Butterfly) highlights Maddy's youthful crush with catchy, upbeat melody. The Wedding Song is boring, though.
Post-Mortem:
Suriya's characterization is established through the the opening scene set in the backdrop of a pistol-shooting game where the protagonist's jugaad is shown. The scenes that follow bring out his bond with his mother: what she means to him, his refusal to get married, her restless urge for a heir to the family. As a principled tycoon, he springs up a surprise 365 days later: he now has a son without getting married. No prizes for guessing who the surrogate mother is.
The story has progressed quite a bit by the time Mamitha's Maddy enters the screen as Abhay's surrogate mom who is currently in her final year of Medicine. Claiming to be unemotional and seemingly risk-taking for thrill and money, she is a vibrant character.
The entirety of the first half is engaging and tight. How Radhika's Nirmala Devi reacts to Maddy’s place in her son's life is written in a cool fashion.
The emotional dialogue (by the director himself) is measured without unnecessary verbosity. Venky Atluri takes on a subject with heavy tropes and motifs. It is almost as if Trivikram Srinivas would have loved to handle the subject if he didn't get occupied with superstar vehicles. The hilarity in the second half, despite the serious plot points at play, is reminiscent of Trivikram's sensibilities.
Scenes featuring Suriya, Raveena Tandon, and Nasser add interesting narrative beats. That's an achievement in a film that has till then been essentially about the lead pair.
On the flip side, the second half is where the central story takes a backseat. What would have filled this hour had Raveena Tandon's character not been present in the story? This is an interesting possibility to think through. Venky Atluri goes back to a safe option to make the film more palatable to the family audience.
Closing Remarks:
A sensitive plot involving surrogacy, an age-gap romance, and paternal crisis... Vishwanath And Sons is layered. It's a thorough family entertainer with its heart in the right place.
