Vishwanath & Sons (2026) · Director: Venky Atluri · Cast: Suriya, Mamitha Baiju, Radhika Sarathkumar, Raveena Tandon · Music: G.V. Prakash Kumar · Runtime: ~161 min · Tamil · In cinemas since Aug 14

Vishwanath & Sons is exactly the kind of big, warm family entertainer the trailer promised. Suriya plays Sanjay Vishwanath — a wealthy, emotionally guarded Olympic shooter in his forties who has sworn off marriage. On his mother's gentle insistence for an heir, he fathers a son through surrogacy. But when little Abhay lands in hospital with a bone marrow disorder, Sanjay tracks down the surrogate mother, Maddy (Mamitha Baiju), and brings her home to help save the boy. What follows is a tangled, thoroughly wholesome story about family, unexpected love, and the walls we build around our hearts — with wealth as Sanjay's convenient superpower and genuine emotion keeping it grounded.

This is a Venky Atluri film through and through — glossy, larger-than-life, emotionally manipulative in the best way, and it knows it. Suriya is in solid form as the guarded, warm-underneath-it-all Sanjay; his easy charm and comic timing with Radhika Sarathkumar's Nirmala Devi make the mother-son dynamic a real highlight.

But the film is really carried on Mamitha Baiju's shoulders. As Maddy, she brings a freshness and emotional weight that elevates every scene she's in. Her performance is the beating heart of the picture — warm, vulnerable, funny when needed, and devastatingly real when the story turns tender. She's the reason the film's progressive ideas about surrogacy and chosen family land with feeling instead of preaching. This is one of those genuinely exciting "watch this space" performances from a young actress.

The verdict: A good, thoroughly fun family entertainer. It doesn't shy from a few convenient shortcuts or some surprising (and oddly casual) detours in the plot, but the emotions are sincere, the performances — especially the lead actress — are excellent, and it leaves you smiling. Perfect for a family outing, and a strong argument that we should see a lot more of Mamitha Baiju.

Rating: 3.5/5 — a wholesome one, worth the watch.