Day: August 16, 2026

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Vishwanath&Sons: A wholesome family entertainer with a Trivikram touch

After Lucky Bhaskar Venky Atluri takes another out of box premise, this time a huge age gap romance with the backdrop of surrogacy. In spite of some dips post interval the film is largely engaging. Mamitha Baiju as the chirpy Madanakameswari akka Maddy is the films beating heart. The young actress more than holds her own opposite Suriya and Radhika Sarathkumar. Suriya as Sanjay Vishwanath delivers a performance which is more internalized nevertheless highly effective. The climax signifying a happy ending for Vishwanath and Maddy ends the film on a high.

Starcast: Suriya, Mamitha Baiju, Radhika Sarathkumar, Raveena Tandon, Nassar and others

Director and writer: Venky Atluri

Genre: Romance/family drama

Dialogues: KN Vijaykumar

Music: GV Prakash Kumar

Cinematography: Nimish Ravi

Producers: Suryadevara Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya

Production Companies: Srikara Studios, Sithara Entertainments etc

Running time: 2 hours and 41 minutes

Vishwanath& Sons is a very anticipated release for numerous reasons. Venky Atluri’s last Lucky Bhaskar was a major hit both critically and commercially. Suriya after a series of theatricals debacles made a strong comeback with the massy hit Karuppu. However, the biggest reason for the buzz is it’s out of box plot. How the huge age gap romance will unfold has created curiosity. Thankfully Venky Atluri does justice to the theme, and the happy ending is the icing on the cake. At times the film ventures into a classic Trivikram territory, the family drama in second half does slow down the movie thankfully though the film never slips off the rails.

The story of VS revolves around a businessman cum Olympic shooter played by Suriya and a free-spirited medical student Maddy (Mamitha Baiju). Vishwanth has an aversion for marriage due to certain reasons, but he ends up having a baby boy through surrogacy. Radhika Sarathkumar plays Vishwanath’s mother who wants her son to get married. The lives of Vishwanath and the surrogate mother Maddy intertwine due to a medical crisis. How Maddy entry changes Vishwanath’s life forms the main core of VS.

The strong aspect of VS is the polar opposite characters. Vishwanath has a more serious demeanor; there is a certain restraint to the character. Maddy though is wilder with an unfiltered attitude. How the two end up developing a deep bond even with the mismatched personalities is a major plus for VS.

Vishwanath’s emotional trauma is revealed in installments, and this helps the viewers in understanding the man’s personality. The subplot of Raveena Tandon and her dynamics with Vishwanath has some solid moments too. Radhika Sarathkumar as the ageing matriarch is elegance personified. The veteran actress balances authority and warmth in her signature style. Her scenes with both Suriya and Mamitha give the film some of its best moments.

Among the lighter scenes a specific mention must be of the portion involving Suriya’s condoms. Venky Atluri treats the entire portion of Vishwanath having flings with 30 plus women in a matter-of-fact way. There is no overt sensationalization with the mother also being cool about it.

Vishwanath &Sons wouldn’t be what it is without the performances apart from the solid writing. After an unabashed massy turn in Karuppu Suriya effortlessly slips into a classy avatar portraying Vishwanath in an understated but highly effective manner. The actor especially shines in the scenes of Vishwanath facing his inner demons and revealing his feelings about Maddy.

Mamitha Baiju though is the showstopper, she brings in both warmth and an infectious energy. The stubbornness of Maddy could have been easily mistaken for infatuation but both the writing and the actress bring an emotional resonance. As viewers you understand where Maddy is coming from making the happy ending even more satisfying.

The rest also pitch in some fine performances especially Raveena Tandon. Nassar on the other hand brings in some laughs amidst the second half’s emotional drama. The music of GV Prakash Kumar isn’t a chartbuster, but the songs go well with the films flow. Neno Butterfly deserves a special mention for Mamitha’s portrayal of a love-struck woman.

The cinematography is suitably blingy, but it has a significant hangover of other movies depicting rich families.

Final word: Vishwanth& Sons is a refreshing family entertainer with a good mix of emotions. Definitely worth seeing for fans of comfort cinema and Suriya.

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Operation Safed Sagar: Mission successful

Director Omi Sen strikes a good balance between politics and human emotions. What gives the show a certain novelty is the portrayal of Kargil War through the eyes of Indian Air Force. Yes, it follows the format of a tearjerker to the t and some of it is carefully curated to make the viewers hate Pakistan. Having said that the show is largely gripping even if you aren’t into war dramas. The sprawling cast headed by Siddarth, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma and Mihir Ahuja also makes OSS gripping

Starcast: Siddarth, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Mihir Ahuja, Vinay Pathak, Manu Rishi Chadda, Dia Mirza, Amrita Bagchi, Prajakta Kohli and others

Genre: War drama

Creators: Kushal Srivastava and Abhijeet Singh Parmar

Director: Omi Sen

Writers: Sandeep Jain, Nikhil Ravi and Barun Kashyap

Music: Amit Trivedi, Anurag Saikia etc

Cinematography: Satyajit Pande

Producers: Sanjay Routray, Sarita Patil etc

Production Companies: Feel Good films and Matchbox Shots

No of episodes: 6

Streaming site: Netflix

Patriotic dramas follow a certain template focusing on the themes of bravery and sacrifice. This has been explored umpteen times but when done right this can make for an engaging watch. Operation Safed Sagar is a good illustration of the above point. The director along his writers spend considerable time on building the interpersonal relationships before getting into action. This approach works for the series as the viewers are invested in the characters when the series takes a dramatic turn. OSS in brief highlights the courage of a squadron by the name of Golden Arrows and the high-altitude Airel mission. Of course, we know that India wins in the end, but the strength lies in the intimate details of the operation.

The strong aspect of OSS is its gradual building of drama. A large part of the initial episodes is spent on developing the characters and the interpersonal relationships. The character arcs have been well established. For example, Abhay Verma’s RS Dhaliwal starts off as an overconfident pilot gradually evolving into a dependable officer. He eventually understands the importance of teamwork. Mihir Ahuja as Baldy is going through his own inner conflict, this is connected to a delicate juggling act between professional and personal life. Prajakta Kohli plays Baldy’s love interest Madhavi, she has run away from home to be with him. these individual arcs give the show depth engaging the viewers.

Mention must also be made of the Pakistani characters especially Manu Rishi Chadda and Vinay Pathak. Manu Rishi Chadda plays General Parvez Musharaf, while Vinay Pathak is Nawaz Sharif. Manu Rishi Chadda portrays the ambitious nature of Parvez well making for a formidable antagonist, Vinay Pathak on the other hand is portrayed as a man stuck between peace rhetoric and military reality. The actor aces the moral conundrum making sure that the character doesn’t become a caricature, of course the layered writing helps too.

The family scenes though predictable have a lot of warmth, a special mention must be of the portions between Siddarth and Amrita Bagchi. There are some lovely moments of understated romance and as viewers you wish that Siddarth’s character didn’t die.

OSS also benefits from strong cinematography and poignant music. The scenes of aerial combat are visually stunning as well as giving thrills. The songs especially “Woh Aega” and “Aazma Le” create a strong impact.

OSS has a large cast with an interesting mix of seniors with upcoming talents, and the actors make their presence amply felt irrespective of screen time. Siddarth as squadron leader Ajay Ahuja brings in the required warmth and dignity as a mentor who understands his young pilots. Jimmy Shergill is equally effective bringing in the required authority as well as a reassuring presence.

Among the women Amrita Bagchi makes the biggest impact followed by Dia Mirza. The roles aren’t novel in any way, but the actresses do a fine job in portraying the required inner strength.