Suriya’s character is unmarried and very close to my age. Oh, that’s relatable. Sufficient to establish the first connection. That happens very early in the film. Of course, I’m not a filthy rich industrialist like him. Didn’t matter. Now, all I had to do was wait for the rest of the film to play out — to see if this man, Sanjay Ramaswamy (an obvious nod to his “Ghajini” character), is going to say things that I would point out in my mind, like DiCaprio in that “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” meme. Yes, that happened a couple of times during the film.
Venky Atluri’s “Vishwanath & Sons” aims to be a wholesome family drama. This means that audiences will have to occasionally bear with the cringe-inducing attempts at humour intended for family audiences who have a thing for Indian television slop — oops, I meant soap. This is a movie that requires you to be open-minded. It requires you to go with the flow. It requires you not to be as uptight as Suriya’s character when it comes to certain matters of heart and mind. That’s at the core of this film. A man waging a battle between the conflicting questions in his heart and his mind. This doesn’t make Sanjay Ramaswamy an unapproachable character. Being one of the very few actors who can effortlessly embody the debonair corporate guy, Suriya sinks into this character in a way that’s not a repeat of his past stylish roles.
That said, this movie isn’t completely above ditching the commercial hero template. Dances, fights, comedy, drama, tragedy… it has everything. Let’s just say a strong ‘90s aroma wafts from the screen that your mind suddenly goes into Nagarjuna from “Coolie” mode: “Engayo paatha maathiri irukke….” And I don’t mean this in a bad way. If you’re open-minded about certain old-school filmmaking sensibilities, you should have fun. For example, there’s a recurring gag where two characters get slapped by Radhikaa Sarathkumar (who is endearing as Suriya’s conservative yet open-minded mother — basically, the film wants you to be like her). Atluri and team come up with an innovative way to stage this without looking like the usual slap-based comedy. The recipients of this slap occasionally appear out of thin air, like characters in an Indian mythological series. Fortunately, the actors involved in this gag are blessed with hilarious body language, so one doesn’t mind them going for more attempts to get a chuckle or two out of us.
But what about the age-gap romance? I’ll address this without spoiling anything. First off, whatever theories had been floating around on social media before release… they were all a bunch of nonsense. “Vishwanth & Sons” takes on this responsibility in a fresh manner. Malayali film buffs who grew up with the cinema of the 1980s would remember what I’d call the best age-gap love story ever — the Mammootty-Shobana film “Kanamarayathu”, directed by I.V. Sasi and written by Padmarajan. There’s a certain point where Suriya says something similar to what Mammootty tells Shobana in that film. But there ends that comparison. “Vishwanath & Sons” is doing something even more daring —unfortunately not with the same storytelling finesse as the other film.
I must admit that Mamitha Baiju’s character wasn’t easy to watch when she first appears. Irksome, to the point where I wondered whether Rashmika Mandanna’s character from “Sarileru Neekevvaru” was telepathically controlling her character, ‘Maddy,’ like Jean Grey did in the new Spider-Man blockbuster. The vivacity is a bit too much to take in, but Mamitha does something with this character later that, after a point, you realise that you are slowly warming up to her. Her dynamic with Suriya doesn’t always work, but it works mostly. There is a sense of comfort here that I’ve not seen with any of her other big superstar co-actors in Tamil. These two characters, combined with Radhikaa’s, make such a lovely bunch that I didn’t want anything else to distract from their story.
But “Vishwanath & Sons” cannot resist distraction. There is a lengthy stretch in which Sanjay grapples with another family’s story strongly connected to his own. In fact, this backstory explains Sanjay remaining unmarried for a long time despite having many desirable qualities (his wealth being one, of course). But nothing happening in that stretch is remotely interesting (including an instantly forgettable song-and-dance routine that seems like a last-minute addition for hook-step enthusiasts. There’s another unremarkable “hook-step” song with Mamitha, which also acts like a speed-breaker.) The problem with this “second family” thread is that it feels like one movie (with Suriya and Mamitha) ended already and another, an unnecessary one, began. And then they come back to Sanjay-Maddy and show you why it was necessary to show it. My question is: ‘Wasn’t there a better alternative?’
Well, at least they found a nice way to end it — at least, I think so. I’m sure it will kickstart a lot of debates. I have one question: Would this have worked out the same way if Sanjay wasn’t a crorepati? What if he was an ordinary office goer? I’m sure more questions will come up with no answers. That said, I should give this movie credit for cheering me up to a certain extent during a particularly stressful morning.
Film: Vishwanath & Sons
Director: Venkly Atluri
Cast: Suriya, Mamitha Baiju, Radhika Sarathkumar
Rating: 3.5/5
