Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Vishwanath and Sons: Suriya's Charm Holds Together a Warm Film
Vishwanath and Sons is a movie about a rich man named Sanjay.
Sanjay used to be a famous pistol shooter, and his mother wanted him to win an Olympic medal.
He has a little baby boy named Abhay, but the baby gets very sick and needs a bone marrow transplant.
Sanjay puts everything else on hold to find a donor for his son.
During this hard time, he meets a young, fun woman named Maddy, who is about 20 years younger than him.
They become friends and then fall in love, and Sanjay has to decide whether love that does not fit what society expects is still worth it.
The movie is warm and funny, and the actors, especially Suriya, do a very good job.
Some reviewers think the story is not strong enough and the second half drags, and that the editing could have been better.
Still, both reviews agree the film has a lot of heart and the main pair are lovely to watch.
Suriya stars as Sanjay Vishwanath, a wealthy businessman and former international pistol shooter in his 40s, in Venky Atluri's Tamil-Telugu family drama; one review calls him an Olympic medal-winner, the other says he was groomed for Olympic glory.
The film follows Sanjay's search for a bone marrow donor for his sick infant son Abhay and his unlikely friendship-turned-romance with free-spirited 22-year-old Maddy (Mamitha Baiju).
Critics praise Suriya's restrained, mature performance, Mamitha Baiju's natural energy, and Radikaa Sarathkumar's outstanding turn as his mother Nirmala Devi.
Both reviews find the plot weak and the second half predictable, and one adds that unsteady editing leaves the film feeling like a collection of good scenes rather than a cohesive whole, with family drama overtaking the romance.
Director Venky Atluri is credited with handling the roughly 20-year age gap and surrogacy maturely rather than turning them into conflict, though one review criticises the casual acceptance of a man having multiple wives as unnecessary.
- Who
- Suriya stars as Sanjay Vishwanath, Mamitha Baiju plays 22-year-old Maddy Jay, Radikaa Sarathkumar plays his mother Nirmala Devi, Raveena Tandon plays Anjali, and Venky Atluri directs.
- What
- A warm Tamil-Telugu family drama about a wealthy former pistol shooter who must find a bone marrow donor for his sick infant son while navigating a romance with a much younger woman; the reviews offer differing backstories — one frames a mother-forced marriage to produce an heir, the other a surrogacy arrangement.
- When
- No release date is given in the articles; reviews note the film follows Suriya's Rs 300 crore hit Karuppu and marks his return to romance after 18 years.
- Where
- The film belongs to South Indian cinema as a Tamil-Telugu drama; the story involves Chennai and a San Francisco connection.
- Why
- A family health crisis and pressure over the family's legacy force Sanjay to confront whether love that does not fit society's template is worth pursuing.
- Film
- Vishwanath and Sons
- Director
- Venky Atluri
- Lead actor
- Suriya
- Key cast
- Mamitha Baiju (Maddy Jay), Radikaa Sarathkumar (Nirmala Devi), Raveena Tandon (Anjali), Nasser, Sunil, Hyper Aadi, Kaali Venkat, Harsha Chemudu
- Music
- GV Prakash Kumar
- Cinematography
- Nimish Ravi
- Editing
- Navin Nooli
- Critical reaction
- Warm, well-performed and honest, but a weak plot, predictable second half and unsteady editing
