Vishwanath and Sons review: Trauma, healing and a whole lot of charm in Suriya's film

Vishwanath and Sons movie review: Director Venky Atluri's Vishwanath and Sons, starring Suriya and Mamitha Baiju, is a feel-good family drama that talks about childhood trauma, healing and what companionship mean.

In Short

• Sanjay’s aversion to marriage is rooted in trauma and emotional distance
• Maddy’s impulsive warmth gradually unsettles and then changes Sanjay’s guarded life
• Radikaa brings wit and tenderness to the mother-son dynamic throughout

Imagine having everything in abundance, yet your traumas remain unhealed. You've grown up shoving them away, comfortable enough now to just react to the triggers. And then someone walks in and heals your trauma without even trying. Sounds like a fantasy, doesn't it? But not for director Venky Atluri – this is the core of Suriya-starrer Vishwanath and Sons.

Sanjay Vishwanath (Suriya) is a successful businessman and Olympic medal winner in pistol shooting. His mother, Nirmala Devi (Radhikaa Sarathkumar), lives the way every 60-or 70-year-old does – always nagging her 40-year-old son to get married. She fails every time; Sanjay is clear that he doesn't believe in the institution of marriage and feels complete by himself.

Like every family drama, a health scare forces him to rethink that. Enter 20-year-old Maddy (Mamitha Baiju), who turns his life upside down despite the 20-year age gap. Throw in their baby Abhay, who needs a bone marrow transplant, and the stakes are set. Will Sanjay give in to marriage after persuasion? What happened to the baby? What is Sanjay's unhealed trauma, and how does he overcome it? Venky Atluri answers all of this and more.

During the pre-release promotions, Atluri confidently said this movie would make audiences cry and urged them to bring tissues. That's how sure he was of the material – and the vision behind that confidence shows within the first half hour. The film has all the familiar tropes of a typical family drama, but Atluri gives them a sensible reboot, addressing topics most Indian households aren't comfortable discussing.

Sanjay and Nirmala share a cute camaraderie as mother and son, yet there are things they never talk about. In one of the film's funniest scenes, Nirmala reveals she once found a pack of condoms in her son's suitcase but never brought it up. When the secret surfaces – courtesy Maddy – it leads to a warm, funny sequence where the mother casually acknowledges her son's foreign escapades: trips specifically taken to date women in their 30s, one-night stands included.

The whole episode is handled with a casual ease – refreshing to see, given Suriya is playing a character who isn't righteous or disciplined enough to treat casual dating as a sin, unusual for a hero of his stature. The first half is packed with such moments, and while Suriya lets his charm do the talking, it's Radikaa's Nirmala and Mamitha's Maddy who own it with their performances.

Mamitha Baiju's Maddy could easily have been written off as a typical loosu ponnu (immature woman), borderline toxic. Credit to her for making the character loveable instead of annoying. In one scene, she describes herself as the bubble gum stuck to a slipper – the one that never leaves. It's probably the best description of her character; she knows exactly when to let her bubbliness out and when to rein it in.

Radikaa, meanwhile, once again proves experience elevates a performance. Her subtle eye-rolls, chuckles and coaxing make Nirmala endearing.

Suriya's Sanjay is a disciplined man with clear likes and dislikes. He guards his space, dislikes sharing food, and doesn't hesitate to tell people when a habit makes him uncomfortable – without offending them. Maddy, a walking sun of an impulsive person, throws him off at first. But he slowly warms up to her, realising her nagging comes from somewhere real, and that without even trying, she gets the people around her to enjoy life's smallest moments.

Vishwanath and Sons touches on childhood trauma, healing, companionship, marriage, parenting and more – topics that deserve in-depth treatment, but the film keeps things shallow, never quite digging in. The 20-year age-gap romance becomes the main theme, yet it stays largely on the surface.

The second half is what pulls the film back from being extraordinary. A sub-plot featuring Raveena Tandon arrives, much to the screenplay's convenience, and plays out like a routine template – the hero gets a fight sequence to prove he can solve anyone's problems, followed by an emotional speech that magically resolves everyone's issues in one go. It's a complete detour from the film's core conflict, and a lazier version of the sensibility the first half worked so hard to earn.

These shortcomings deserved better treatment, but they don't drag the film down entirely. The primary cast – Suriya, Mamitha and Radikaa – makes it work. It's wonderful to see the Suriya we fell in love with, back on screen even in his 40s: he smiles, gets playful, shows anger, and cries well enough to have you reaching for tissues. Mamitha again shows her range, while Radikaa delivers a memorable mother role.

Vishwanath and Sons is a wholesome film whose shortcomings don't get in the way too much. And as promised, Venky Atluri does make you grab your tissues – even if you're not bawling your eyes out, there are emotional moments that will make you tear up.

- Ends