Suriya-starrer Vishwanath And Sons was positioned as a Tamil film from the beginning.
Director Venky Atluri and producer Naga Vamsi had made it clear before the release that, unlike their earlier films such as Sir with Dhanush and Lucky Baskhar with Dulquer Salmaan, this was not a bilingual film.
They had also explained that Sir was shot separately in Telugu and Tamil. In contrast, Vishwanath And Sons was shot entirely in Tamil and later dubbed into Telugu.
Despite this, the Telugu version has turned out to be a major success. Telugu audiences have embraced the film strongly, and its collections in the Telugu states are comfortably ahead of the Tamil version.
The film has also performed particularly well in North America, where the Telugu version has emerged as a strong contributor to its overall box office numbers.
For Suriya, Vishwanath And Sons can therefore be considered a safe bet, but largely because of the Telugu version.
The Tamil version, however, is facing a different situation. The film has slowed down considerably in Tamil Nadu, making it difficult for the Tamil theatrical version to reach the break-even mark.
Moreover, comparisons with Suriya’s previous blockbuster Karuppu are adding another dimension to the film’s Tamil performance.
Rival fan groups are frequently comparing the box office numbers of the two films, and in that context, Vishwanath And Sons is not giving Suriya the same advantage in the Tamil market.
Overall, the film’s performance is encouraging, particularly in Telugu, but its contrasting fortunes across the two markets highlight an interesting trend.
A Tamil film that was never positioned as a bilingual has found its biggest theatrical strength in the Telugu market.
