Vishwanath and Sons Review - A Feel-Good Family Entertainer with Plenty of Heart

Ashwin Ram

Premise:  Suriya is a successful businessman and super rich, he refuses to marry due to a grim reason despite touching forty. In an attempt to satisfy his mother Radhika, he decides to bring a child to her world using a surrogate mother, played by Mamitha Baiju. What happens after the baby is born forms the remaining story.

Writing/ Direction:  Starts slowly with a familiar trope of a middle-aged man refusing to get married. Not even the baby, but the story enlightens only when the surrogate mother enters the story. The combination scenes of Mamitha Baiju and Radhika are rollicking fun, their chemistry is very naturally woven, humane start followed by a bestie-kinda bonding. Suriya is a stiff person, his characterization is complicated, also his lavish lifestyle and the little joys he is having every month makes it quite tough for us to root for him, however the backstory works as a satisfying justification and helps us relate to his character in the later stages of the film. Plenty of jovial scenes in the first half keep the entertainment incoming, Venky Atluri’s presentation is also very neat, the bungalows and foreign locations bring his vision to light. The main conflict does not get fixed at get go, it is a journey of certain characters where their lives keep evolving in the flow. At the same time it is not some dry flick, there are many commercially viable moments that make some of the taboo topics interesting, mainly the interval block placement. An understanding mother, philosophical touches, a man’s needs, a woman’s feelings… all these are dealt carefully. The emotional moments click to an extent, not only the straightforward scenes like Suriya venting out on the bed, even some props like photo-frames, chocolates and mobile phones add value to the subject as they have been given a life by the writer. Downside, it is a lengthy fair with excessive subplots. It is always good to give importance to the supporting artists, but it is overdone here. The equation between Raveena Tandon’s family tree is wholesome, but the drama is extended in so many ways. Not just about consuming time, but the focus is deteriorating for the core plot which is Suriya and Mamitha Baiju’s age difference. There was enough scope to trim around 15-20 minutes of the overall duration, the two fight sequences were completely unnecessary. Characters played by Mariam George and Nasser do bring out the best qualities of the hero, but even without their portions, we would realise his selfless nature. There are many lip-sync mismatches and some Telugu junior artists with blatant dubbing voices is evident. The climax is sensible, practically concluded and sends us off with a smile as well.

Performances:  Suriya has played to his character, a disciplined and a calculated middle-aged man, the terrific actor has utilized the dramatic moments to his strength. Mamitha Baiju’s presence is super fun, proves that she is perfectly casted for her role, dynamic throughout and her energy is such a joy to watch, she even pulled a couple of emotional stretches so skillfully. After Thaai Kizhavi, great characterization for Radhika and she deserved the screen time she has got. Rajeev Menon and Raveena Tandon add depth to the drama and even impact the crucial decisions made by the leading man. There are plenty of other artists who appear for hardly a scene or two, some work and some don’t.

Technicalities:  Music is the lifeline for a light-hearted flick, GV Prakash’s lukewarm songs do not create any sort of momentum in pulling the crowds. Thankfully, he has delivered with the background score, tuning the situations correctly and man’s experience comes in place as he has the clarity when to leave a scene as it is with pin drop silence. Pleasant camera work, both the exteriors and the interiors are captured well, by beautifully presenting the lavish lifestyle of the key characters. Smooth editing transitions and some interesting creative choices elevate the parallel narrative of a scene, but a crisper runtime by cutting down some extra fittings would have helped in the betterment of the overall result.

Verdict: 

Suriya in a feel-flick after ages, Mamitha-Radhika duo rock. Length becomes a concern when the drama extends as there is a compulsion to close all the layers. Yet the emotions work with valuable plot-points and there is enough fun to drive the flow.

Rating - 3/ 5.