Vishwanath & Sons
2026 Indian film
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Vishwanath & Sons is a 2026 Indian drama film written and directed by Venky Atluri.[1] Produced by Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas, the film stars Suriya as Sanjay Vishwanath, an ageing former Olympic pistol shooter, alongside Mamitha Baiju, with Radhika Sarathkumar and Raveena Tandon in pivotal roles.[2]
- Suryadevara Naga Vamsi
- Sai Soujanya
| Vishwanath & Sons | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Venky Atluri |
| Written by | Venky Atluri |
| Dialogues by | K. N. Vijayakumar |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Nimish Ravi |
| Edited by | Naveen Nooli |
| Music by | G. V. Prakash Kumar |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | see below |
Release date |
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Running time | 161 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Languages | Tamil Telugu |
The film was officially announced in May 2025 under the tentative title Suriya 46, as it is the actor's 46th film in a leading role, and principal photography commenced the same month. The official title was announced in March 2026. The film has music composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, cinematography handled by Nimish Ravi and editing by Naveen Nooli.[3]
Vishwanath & Sons was released on 14 August 2026 in theatres worldwide and received positive reviews from both audience and critics.[4]
Premise
Sanjay Vishwanath, a wealthy, emotionally guarded former Olympic pistol shooter, is pressured by his mother Nirmala Devi to marry and produce an heir. Instead of a traditional marriage, he opts to have a child via an anonymous surrogacy arrangement. When his infant son Abhay falls seriously ill and requires an urgent bone marrow transplant, 22-year-old medical student Madanakameshwari "Maddy" Jothilingam, enters their lives to care for the child, leading to an unconventional emotional bond and a romance that bridges their significant generation gap.[5][6][3][7]
Cast
- Suriya as Sanjay "Sanju" Vishwanath[7]
- Akhilan SJ as young Sanjay
- Mamitha Baiju as Madanakameshwari "Maddy" Jothilingam[6]
- Radhika Sarathkumar as Nirmala Devi, Sanjay's mother
- Raveena Tandon as Anjali, Meghana's mother and Sanjay's stepmother
- Nassar as Ramanathan, Prakash's Paternal Uncle
- Harsha Chemudu as a lawyer
- V J Pappu as Prakash, Meghana's husband
- Bhavani Sre as Meghana, Sanjay's younger half-sister, Prakash's wife
- Sunil Reddy as Advocate Ramalingam, Sireesha's husband
- Rajiv Menon as Vijay Vishwanath, Sanjay & Meghana's Father (Voice dubbed by Subbu Panchu)
- Bjorn Surrao as Thangavel's henchman
- Kaali Venkat as Shiva
- George Maryan as Muthusamy, Ashok's father
- Sudha as Ramanathan's wife
- Deepa Shankar as a lawyer
- Kalyani Natarajan
- Mathew Varghese as Prakash's father
- Raghu Babu as R. Shanmugam, judge
- Hyper Aadi as Sanjay's assistant
- Sarvadaman Banerjee as V. Chandrasekar, Anjali's father
- Karate Karthi as Sanjay's bodyguard
- Mukthar Khan
- Aishwarya Dutta as Maddy's Friend
Production
Development
The screenplay was written by Venky Atluri. He conceived of an "older man falling in love with a younger woman" story, but the subject matter was quite tricky, and he worried that no star would agree to star in it. Atluri told the story to 2D Entertainment head Rajsekar Pandian, who liked it.[8] A few days later, Atluri was able to tell the story to Suriya. By then, the story was developed into a complete script. Suriya immediately loved the idea and agreed to develop it into a film.[8] Atluri said that he wrote countless drafts for some scenes (some scenes even more than ten drafts) before the script was finalised.[8]
The project, tentatively titled Suriya 46 and also referred to as Sithara Entertainments' Production No. 33, was officially launched with a traditional pooja ceremony at Ramanaidu Studios in Hyderabad on 19 May 2025, with director Trivikram Srinivas delivering the first clap.[9][10][11] It was conceived as Suriya's first collaboration with Atluri, who was coming off back-to-back successes with Vaathi (2023) and Lucky Baskhar (2024).[12]
Casting
Mamitha Baiju plays the female lead. Raveena Tandon and Radhika Sarathkumar also starred in the film.[12] Mamitha claimed that she had admired Suriya ever since she saw Ghajini (2005), and revealed that she had previously missed the opportunity to work with him.[13] It marks Tandon's return to Tamil cinema after 24 years, following her appearance in the 2001 film Aalavandhan.[7]
Filming
Following the launch ceremony, principal photography commenced on 9 June 2025, around which time the makers released the film's official first-look poster.[14] In India, filming took place at locations such as Ooty[15] and Hyderabad.[16][17] The film was also shot extensively across Europe, with a major schedule taking place in Belarus.[18] Several of Atluri's regular technical collaborators from Lucky Baskhar joined the project, including cinematographer Nimish Ravi and production designer Banglan, alongside editor Navin Nooli.[3][10] Filming wrapped in June 2026.[19]
Music
The soundtrack and background score are composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, reuniting with Atluri after Vaathi and Lucky Baskhar, and continuing the composer's association with Suriya that began with Soorarai Pottru (2020).[3] The first single—titled "Pattampoochi" in Tamil and "Neno Butterfly" in Telugu—was released as part of the film's musical promotions. Both versions features vocals by Sublahshini with lyrics by Arunraja Kamaraj in Tamil.[20]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pattampoochi" | Arunraja Kamaraj | Sublahshini | 3:29 |
| 2. | "The Wedding Song" | Ken Karunas | Suriya | 3:16 |
| 3. | "The One Rule" | Gana Kadhar | Gana Kadhar | 2:49 |
| 4. | "Paalmazhai" | Balaji Venugopal | Vidya Kalyanraman | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Uyire Uyire" | Balaji Venugopal | Aditi Bhavaraju | 3:26 |
| Total length: | 16:44 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Neno Butterfly" | Ramajogayya Sastry | Sublahshini | 3:29 |
| 2. | "The Wedding Song" | Ramajogayya Sastry | Suriya | 3:16 |
| 3. | "The One Rule" | Sri Mani | Rowdraa | 2:48 |
| 4. | "Devaki Nandana" | Ramajogayya Sastry | Vidya Kalyanraman | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Kalale Kalale" | Sri Mani | Amala Chebolu | 3:27 |
| Total length: | 16:46 | |||
Marketing
The film's title was revealed in March 2026, with the makers announcing that the teaser would arrive on 16 March 2026.[7] Released on that date, the teaser introduced Suriya as Sanjay Vishwanath and trended online, with viewers praising the actor's look and the film's tone.[21] The audio launch for this film was held on 2 August 2026, at Hindusthan College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore.[22]
Release
Theatrical
Vishwanath & Sons is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on 14 August 2026, timed for the Independence Day weekend. Producer Naga Vamsi confirmed the date on 28 May 2026, a shift from the originally announced July 2026 window.[3] The film is being released in both Tamil and Telugu.[5] Prior to release, it was reported that the film's pre-release business had exceeded ₹300 crore (US$31 million).[23] This film will be released in the United States on 13 August 2026.[24]
Distribution
Primark Productions is responsible for the film's distribution in Tamil Nadu.[25] Other distributors for this film in India include New Surya Films (Kerala)[26], Rajukunta Film Distributors LLP (Nizam region)[27], and VK Films (Karnataka).[28] Overseas publishers include Shloka Entertainments (USA)[24], York Cinemas (Canada)[29], Linus Media (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg)[30], Zineflix (Germany),[31], SAS Plaza (Srilanka)[32] Boleyn Cinema (UK and Europe)[33], Home Screen Entertainment (Singapore)[34], and Malik Streams Corporation (Malaysia).[35]
Home media
Netflix acquired the post-theatrical digital streaming rights, with the film reportedly set to stream in five languages—Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi—after its theatrical run.[36] The satellite rights were acquired by Zee Tamil.
Reception
Box office
The film grossed ₹17 crore on its opening day in India, and ₹27.51 crore worldwide. India's net box office revenue was ₹15.15 crore euros.[37] According to reports, the film received a more enthusiastic response in the Telugu region than in the Tamil region on its opening day.[37]
Critical response
Vishwanath & Sons received mixed reviews from critics.
Janani K of India Today gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Vishwanath and Sons is a wholesome film whose shortcomings don't get in the way too much. And as promised, Venky Atluri does make you grab your tissues – even if you're not bawling your eyes out, there are emotional moments that will make you tear up."[38] Latha Srinivasan of NDTV gave 3/5 stars and wrote "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."[39] Yashaswini Sri of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Vishwanath and Sons is not a perfect film. But it is also honest, well-performed, funny and emotionally rooted in a way that most mainstream family dramas simply are not in today's age."[40] BVS Prakash of Deccan Chronicle gave 1.5/5 stars and write "the film’s ambitious attempt to blend family drama, romance and social themes results in a contrived and largely disappointing outing."[41]