Vishwanath And Sons Review: Suriya, Mamitha Baiju Shine In An Uneven Family Drama

In 2005, Tamil star Suriya dazzled audiences as rich businessman Sanjay Ramasamy in Ghajini. In 2026, he is on screen again as rich businessman Sanjay — Sanjay Vishwanath. Director Venky Atluri brings Suriya, Mamitha Baiju, Radhika Sarathkumar and Raveena Tandon together for his Tamil-Telugu family drama Vishwanath and Sons.

Sanjay Vishwanath (Suriya) is a rich businessman who is happily single in his 40s as he's averse to marriage. However, his life is not just about making money — he's also an Olympic medal winner in pistol shooting, a hobby he's passionate about.

Living with his mother Nirmala Devi (Radhika Sarathkumar) means he has to deal with repeated attempts by her to introduce him to eligible women. Sanjay eludes these meetings with elan till he hits a major stumbling block. When Nirmala has to undergo a heart surgery, she gets very emotional as the family has no heir to carry forward their legacy.

Sanjay is then introduced to an eligible doctor living in San Francisco by his cousin and we see the two chatting endlessly over the phone. Is love in the air finally for Sanjay? But 365 days later, the audience sees Sanjay landing at the Chennai airport with a baby boy, Abhay, whom he introduces to the world as his son. It's when Abhay falls ill that 22-year-old Madanakameswari aka Maddy Jay (Mamitha Baiju) comes into the picture. Who is Maddy? And why is Sanjay so averse to marriage? How is Anjali (Raveena Tandon) connected to Sanjay?

Director Venky Atluri has crafted a clean family drama driven by an unconventional love story. The first half of the film is breezy and engaging, driven by Sanjay's charm, Nirmala's reactions and Maddy's comedy. There's an easy chemistry between Sanjay and Maddy and their interactions are mostly funny, eliciting laughter. The family portions involving Nirmala are also endearing and when the baby makes his entrance, it makes the proceedings more lively thanks to the dialogues. Thus, the first half is the film's biggest asset.

Cut to the second half, the movie loses steam and becomes too emotionally heavy and somewhat predictable. The screenplay could have been written better in the second half as the comedy goes missing and the drama becomes overly stretched as well.

One must give credit to Atluri for not turning the age difference and surrogacy into key conflicts in the film. But the film is problematic for its casual acceptance and normalising a man having multiple wives — and was this even required as a sub-plot? Atluri has etched out the three main characters quite well — Maddy has agency, Sanjay is genuinely disturbed by being pursued by a younger woman and an elderly Nirmala Devi readily accepts the realities of present-day society. He has also touched upon social issues like the importance of farmers, respecting your parents, and never letting money be the end of all life.

Suriya is highly effective as Sanjay as his performance is restrained and he eases naturally into this role. The Tamil star's acting is absolutely effortless on screen and this shows his maturity as an actor as well. He finds the right balance between being a successful businessman, a father and a son and his comic timing is perfect too.

As for Mamitha Baiju, she essays Maddy to the T given her young age. She is spontaneous, warm and charming on screen and that's a big strength for the film. She's vulnerable yet confident and funny and this is truly refreshing. Veteran actor Radhika Sarathkumar puts her unique stamp on Nirmala Devi and she is a delight as always to watch on screen.
Vishwanath and Sons is a sincere attempt at celebrating human relationships and the family. The Suriya-Mamitha Baiju starrer isn't perfect but it definitely has its heart in the right place.