Chennai: Director Venky Atluri has revealed that the climax originally planned for Vishwanath and Sons was very different from the ending audiences eventually saw. According to the filmmaker, the initial version featured Suriya and Mamitha Baiju’s characters sharing a hug and kiss before living happily ever after, but Suriya and the team felt the ending did not suit the film.
The director said the decision was part of the extensive rewriting that went into the family drama, with some scenes reportedly going through as many as 11 to 12 drafts before being finalised.
Venky Atluri reveals the original climax
In a recent interview, Venky Atluri explained that the film initially had a conventional romantic ending in mind.
The original climax would have shown the hero and heroine embracing and kissing before moving towards a traditional happy-ever-after conclusion.
However, Suriya and the rest of the team were reportedly not comfortable with taking the story in that direction.
Atluri said Suriya’s point was that the film needed to offer something different, particularly because both the actor and director were coming off projects with very different tones.
Suriya wanted something different
According to Atluri, Suriya felt that a conventional romantic ending would not be appropriate for Vishwanath and Sons.
The actor reportedly pointed out that Atluri was coming from Lucky Baskhar, while Suriya was coming from Karuppu, described as an out-and-out commercial film. With Vishwanath and Sons positioned as a family-oriented film, Suriya wanted the new project to offer audiences something distinct.
That feedback ultimately contributed to the filmmakers changing the climax.
The final ending leaves things open
The theatrical version takes a considerably more understated approach.
The film follows Sanjay, played by Suriya, and Maddy, played by Mamitha Baiju, whose relationship develops against the backdrop of a family drama and a significant age difference.
Towards the end, Sanjay admits to Anjali, played by Raveena Tandon, that he would have accepted Maddy’s proposal if not for their 20-year age gap.
However, the film does not show Sanjay directly confessing these feelings to Maddy.
The final moments instead leave the relationship open to interpretation, with Sanjay and Maddy watching the sunset while Abhay holds their hands.
This ending avoids giving audiences a conventional romantic resolution.
Why the climax became a talking point
The decision to avoid the planned romantic ending is significant because Vishwanath and Sons deals with an unconventional relationship.
Rather than providing a straightforward love-story conclusion, the film leaves viewers to interpret what Sanjay and Maddy’s future could look like.
The ambiguity also allows the family drama to remain central to the story instead of turning the final moments into a conventional romantic sequence.
Suriya’s reported objection therefore influenced not just a particular scene but the overall tone of the film’s conclusion.
The script went through several rewrites
Atluri also revealed just how much work went into the screenplay.
According to the director, some scenes were rewritten 11 or 12 times, while an average scene went through around six or seven drafts.
The extensive rewriting suggests that the filmmakers were particularly focused on getting the emotional tone of the film right.
The climax, in particular, underwent a major change before the version seen in theatres was finalised.
Suriya’s approach to the family drama
Suriya’s decision also reflects the actor’s approach to the film’s tone.
After appearing in Karuppu, a commercial action-oriented film, Vishwanath and Sons offered him a very different setting.
The film is centred on family relationships, emotions and an unconventional romantic equation rather than the larger-than-life action elements associated with a commercial entertainer.
The actor reportedly felt that the film should maintain that distinct identity through its ending.
Vishwanath and Sons earns strong response
The decision appears to have resonated with audiences, with Vishwanath and Sons enjoying a strong theatrical run.
The film had crossed the Rs 160 crore worldwide gross mark by its ninth day, according to trade tracking cited by The Times of India. The film also recorded a significant jump in collections on its second Saturday, with its performance continuing to attract attention at the box office.
Earlier in its run, the film had crossed Rs 90 crore in India by its seventh day.
Suriya and Mamitha Baiju lead the cast
The film stars Suriya as Sanjay Vishwanath and Mamitha Baiju as Maddy.
The cast also includes Radhika Sarathkumar, Raveena Tandon, Nasser, Sudha, Raghu Babu, Sunil Reddy, Bhavani Sre, Viva Harsha, Kaali Venkat and others.
The family-oriented narrative combines emotional relationships with Sanjay’s personal journey and his complicated feelings towards Maddy.
Venky Atluri’s vision for the film
For Atluri, the project marked an opportunity to move into a more emotional family-drama space after his earlier films.
The director previously helmed Lucky Baskhar, which starred Dulquer Salmaan, and Vaathi/Sir.
With Vishwanath and Sons, he attempted to create a story driven more by relationships and human emotions.
The decision to change the climax appears to have been consistent with that approach.
The age-gap relationship remains central
One of the film’s most discussed elements is the age difference between Sanjay and Maddy.
The 20-year gap becomes an important factor in Sanjay’s decision-making and helps explain why the film does not end with a conventional romantic declaration.
Instead of resolving the relationship through a dramatic confession, the film leaves the audience with a quieter and more ambiguous moment.
That approach allows viewers to decide what Sanjay and Maddy’s future might be.
A different ending for a family entertainer
The rejected climax could have given Vishwanath and Sons a more familiar romantic conclusion.
Instead, the final version chooses restraint.
The characters’ feelings are communicated indirectly, while the film avoids explicitly confirming what happens next.
For a family entertainer, this gives the conclusion a somewhat unusual quality and has also encouraged discussion among viewers.
Suriya’s suggestion shaped the final film
Atluri’s comments indicate that Suriya was actively involved in discussions about how the film should conclude.
Rather than simply accepting the initial version, the actor questioned whether the romantic ending was appropriate for the film’s overall identity.
The director ultimately agreed that a different approach would work better.
The result was a climax that relies on suggestion rather than explicit romantic resolution.
Conclusion
Venky Atluri has revealed that Vishwanath and Sons originally had a much more conventional romantic climax planned, with Suriya and Mamitha Baiju’s characters expected to hug, kiss and live happily ever after.
However, Suriya and the team reportedly felt that such an ending did not fit the film. The actor suggested that the family drama needed something different, especially after his commercial outing Karuppu and Atluri’s Lucky Baskhar.
The filmmakers ultimately replaced the planned romantic conclusion with a more open-ended ending, leaving Sanjay and Maddy’s relationship open to interpretation.
The decision appears to have become one of the film’s talking points, while Vishwanath and Sons continues to perform strongly at the box office.