Vishwanath & Sons review: A feel-good entertainer about an unusual romance that blends humour, emotion and family values

CHENNAI: Director Venky Atluri's Vishwanath and Sons is a warm film about a business tycoon who sets out to fulfil his mother’s wish of seeing him married and having an heir for the family, but chooses an unconventional route to achieve it without getting married, while also resolving issues in his troubled family.

The film opens with Suriya, playing Sanjay Vishwanath, a man in his 40s, competing in the shooting event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Even after masked men destroy his gun, he manages to clinch the gold medal, which is later revealed to be yet another wish of his mother. A brief flashback introduces Rajiv Menon as his father and Radikaa Sarathkumar as his mother, with his father teaching the young Suriya about money, life and how to navigate difficult situations.

The actual story of Vishwanath & Sons begins when Suriya returns home, only to face the age-old pressure from his ageing mother, who wants her son to get married and provide an heir to the family. To fulfil her wish, Suriya travels to the US and later returns with a baby born via a surrogate, to everyone's shock. When the newborn is diagnosed with a health condition, Suriya sets out in search of the child’s mother and discovers it to be Maddy, played by Mamitha Baiju, who is 20 years younger than him.

What happens between Suriya and Mamitha and how he resolves other complications within his family form the rest of the story.

The director thoughtfully handles the age difference between Suriya and Mamitha’s characters. Their growing friendship, Suriya’s reluctance to acknowledge his feelings, and his refusal to give in to Mamitha’s pressure and that of everyone around them to marry her are among the better-written portions of the film. Though there are only a handful of scenes exploring this conflict, they leave a lasting impression.

The humour and the performances of the cast keep Vishwanath & Sons engaging. The depiction of Suriya’s extravagant lifestyle, from his massive mansion filled with servants and butlers to his limousines and private jets, adds a larger-than-life quality to the film.

Suriya carries the film with his elegance and screen presence, although the writing occasionally leaves the protagonist in the background as the narrative shifts towards the supporting characters. Mamitha Baiju brings warmth and charm to her character, delivering one of her best performances. Holding her own alongside Suriya with ease and confidence is no mean feat. Though her American accent sounds odd in a few places, her comic timing and dance sequences work well. Radikaa Sarathkumar, as always, delivers a strong performance, with her reactions reaching a high point when Mamitha expresses her interest in Suriya.

Vishwanath & Sons occasionally takes detours to deliver messages about saving farmers and features a lengthy monologue centred on the father-son relationship between Suriya’s former driver and his son, who feels embarrassed about his father’s profession. These scenes felt unnecessary and interrupted the otherwise smooth-flowing narrative.

GV Prakash Kumar’s background score complement's the mood of the film in several portions but the music overall doesn’t leave an impression.

The film touches upon themes of anger, forgiveness and family values, but its treatment of the extramarital relationship lacks depth. The writing does not delve enough into the emotional complications arising from it, while some of the other ideas it introduces also remain underexplored. Some of the message-driven portions, too, feel forced. But overall, Vishwanath and Sons remains enjoyable for its emotional moments and particularly good performances from Suriya, Radikaa Sarathkumar and Mamitha Baiju.