After delivering a mass blockbuster like Veerabhadrudu, Suriya comes up with a completely different kind of film this time. Vishwanath And Sons, directed by Venky Atluri, is a class family drama that created good interest with its promotional content. The combination of Suriya, Venky Atluri and Mamitha Baiju also raised expectations. So, does Vishwanath And Sons live up to them? Let’s find out.
Story
Sanjay Vishwanath (Suriya) is a successful businessman who has achieved almost everything in life. He even wins an Olympic medal to fulfil his mother’s dream, but there is one thing he refuses to do: get married.
Because of certain incidents from his childhood, Sanjay decides that marriage is not for him. However, his mother worries that their family will end with him. To fulfil her wish of having a grandchild, Sanjay chooses surrogacy and becomes a father.
Things take a serious turn when the child is diagnosed with a rare bone marrow disease and doctors say that only the biological mother can be the donor. Sanjay then starts searching for her and eventually meets Maddy (Mamitha Baiju).
He brings Maddy back to India, but her arrival changes Sanjay’s life completely. What happens between Sanjay and Maddy? Will Sanjay finally change his views about marriage? And what happens to his family? The answers form the rest of the story.
Performance
As usual, Suriya delivers a splendid performance as Sanjay. There is nothing particularly surprising about his performance because he handles the character with the ease of a cakewalk. He fits perfectly into the mature and classy role and carries the film comfortably.
Mamitha Baiju also does her role with ease. She gets a character that allows her to be funny as well as emotional, and she handles both sides well.
Radhika Sarathkumar, Raveena Tandon and the rest of the supporting cast perform well within their roles and provide good support to the film.
Analysis
Vishwanath And Sons starts on a pleasant note. The first half is simple, clean and easy to watch. The relationship between Sanjay and his mother, his decision not to marry, and the introduction of Maddy are handled well.
There are a few places where the writing feels weak, but they are manageable because the narration keeps moving smoothly. The film also has some nice emotional moments along with good dark comedy, so there isn’t much to complain about in the first half.
Unfortunately, the second half turns out to be the biggest disappointment.
The film completely loses the tempo it had built in the first half. After a point, several scenes start feeling like individual set pieces rather than parts of one smooth story. The narration becomes stretched and the film starts reminding you of the typical family drama template we have seen many times before. In fact, some portions give an Atharintiki Daredi kind of feeling, but with a different problem at the centre.
The biggest issue is the writing towards the climax. The film tries to make a statement about relationships and personal choices, but the way it presents the idea feels forced and uncomfortable. The message seems to be that if a woman wants a particular relationship, her choice should be accepted regardless of the other person’s existing circumstances. Instead of presenting this idea with proper emotional depth, the film almost appears to justify certain actions simply to make its climax work.
That entire stretch feels unnecessary and takes the film away from the pleasant family drama it was building in the first half. The climax is also dragged and doesn’t provide the satisfying emotional payoff expected from the story.
There are also a few character decisions that don’t make much sense. Sanjay’s decision to become a shooter because of his father and his decision to stay away from marriage because of the same past don’t feel convincing enough. These portions needed stronger writing to make us understand why the character behaves that way.
The concept itself isn’t completely new, but Venky Atluri initially gives it a pleasant treatment. His simple writing works well in the first half, where the film manages to make us smile and connect with the characters. But the second half loses that balance and becomes increasingly predictable.
Verdict
Vishwanath And Sons starts off as a pleasant family drama with some good emotions, dark humour and a terrific performance from Suriya. But the second half loses the charm with routine scenes, weak writing and a dragged climax. The film has its moments, but overall it ends up as a strictly average watch.
Rating: 2.5/5
