Chennai, India – In Venky Atluri’s charming family entertainer Vishwanath and Sons (VAS), Suriya plays a middle-aged business tycoon and Olympic-medallist shooter who lives within a self-built cocoon, even as everything around him is lavish and grand. The film, which also stars Mamitha Baiju and Radhika Sarathkumar, is a well-written, larger-than-life entertainer that feels wholesome and bats for the right progressive registers. With a runtime of 161 minutes, the film explores themes of emotional walls, family bonds, and the freedom to choose one’s path.
Sanjay Vishwanath (Suriya), a bachelor in his forties, agrees to father a child through surrogacy to please his mother, Nirmala Devi (Radhika Sarathkumar). When his son Abhay falls ill with a bone marrow disorder, Sanjay tracks down the surrogate mother, Maddy (Mamitha Baiju), and brings her home. As Maddy spends time with Sanjay and his family, she falls in love with him, challenging his long-standing resolve not to marry. The film explores his deep insecurities and whether he can accept a relationship with someone 20 years younger. The storytelling is conveniently wealthy—Sanjay’s superpower—but Venky hardly hides this, making it a Bruce Wayne-esque tale that revels in opulence.
The emotional beats are well-crafted, and Mamitha Baiju delivers a superb performance, charming her way into our hearts. Radhika Sarathkumar reminds us of her veteran status, expressing multiple emotions in a single shot. GV Prakash Kumar’s music breathes fresh life into the film. Suriya deserves credit for consistently playing progressive roles, and VAS tackles ideas like surrogacy and casual relationships with surprising maturity.
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Despite some generic moments, Venky displays tremendous narrative control, with every scene flowing seamlessly into the next. The ending, though potentially a cop-out on the surface, feels satisfying and shows what a healthy relationship that respects boundaries would look like. Vishwanath and Sons is good pure-genre masala cinema, currently running in theatres.
