It is a pleasure to watch Dhanush in such types of roles that are at once driven by the nature of his character and also act as star vehicles. And when it comes to tales of repression and man-eaters, he has already shown why he’s so good. The examples are ‘Asuran’ and ‘Karnan’. Arun Matheswaran’s ‘Captain Miller’ is also another addition to this list. It is a fiery narrative of Miller who fights for freedom during pre-independence epoch.
Set in pre-independent India, Captain Miller explores the story of a man fighting for freedom. Agnee(Dhanush) who hails from the lower caste decides to join British Army so that he can earn respect amongst his fellowmen but after killing his own people, he deserts them and joins revolutionary group which fights against British rule. When British authorities stole a 600-year-old deity from their village, Agnee with some assistance from Bhanumathi(Priyanka Arul Mohan) leads rebellion against the British general. The above mentioned film tells how all these clan members save their respective clans and come out unscathed.
Analeesan(Dhanush) and his mother among many other villagers have been oppressed. Their king gives directive on behalf of Britishers to do certain things. For example, they are not allowed to go into the temple that was built for them by themselves inside their village. His mother dies one day when his brother Sengolan (Shiva Rajkumar) returns home for local festival in village. So, thinks serving Britishers is better since those people give him respect too. When he reaches there, they rename him as Miller at the campsite where Britishers were staying . He does not know that they are more dangerous.
In his first mission, he charges towards some unarmed freedom fighters who were staging a peaceful protest.. He shivers after realizing that he has blood in his hands. A despondent Miller decides to return to his village, however, gets chased away at the entrance. Upon being prodded, his associates reveal that Sengolan was also one of those freedom fighters. After this announcement, Miller feels devastated and hence becomes a wanderer. Some days later; Kannaya (Elango Kumaravel), a leader of a gang of dacoits chances upon him.. How Miller realizes the real purpose of his life and starts fighting against tyranny forms the gist of it.
Arun Matheswaran’s two films ‘‘Rocky’’ and ‘‘Saani Kaayidham’’ were simple in terms of storylines but had great making. But ‘Captain Miller’ can be called as Arun Matheswaran’s best work till date. It is an intensely layered movie with a theme about man’s fight for freedom and well-executed filmmaking. In ‘Captain Miller’, you need to pay attention from the first shot because so many things are happening.
‘Captain Miller’ is about a man who is despised by everyone in his village for what he did. The film delves into how he manages to save them all from an impending danger. This is exactly up Dhanush’s alley and it is heartwarming to see him living Easan/Captain Miller onscreen. You feel when he is distraught, you feel the rage when he is seething with anger and you want him (and his villagers) to get justice.’ Captain Miller’ speaks volumes for Dhanush’s acting prowess too.
After his superb cameo in ‘Jailer’, Shiva Rajkumar once again gives a mind-blowing performance. He goes ahead to show why he is one of the biggest stars in Kannada cinema. Another admirable act comes from Nivedhitha Sathish, playing Kuyil, a head-strong woman among the dacoit gang. Priyanka Arulmohan who played freedom fighter-doctor she acted with lesser screen time also impressed me. Elango Kumaravel, Sundeep Kishan and the rest of the supporting cast did justice to their roles as well as helped the director realize his vision perfectly on-screen. Aditi Balan came out strong as Sankuntala with an interesting character and Part 2’s climax was hinted here.
‘Captain Miller’ is a film that has its technical soundness intact. GV Prakash exhibits his best form in this movie during which Arun Matheswaran and Dhanush showcase their talents at full capacity. His thumping background music particularly the ‘Killer Killer’ sequence will make you fall in love with it. Siddhartha Nuni’s cinematography makes us sit up and take notice of what he does with his camera work. And we have no choice but to get lost into the world of ‘Captain Miller’ through Nagooran Ramachandran’s editing and work.
‘Captain Miller’ is a great film to usher 2024 with because it gets better each time you watch it’. Watch for the epic climax scene and union of different forces against Britishers’. Indeed, all film buffs including Dhanush fans are treated to Pongal special meal had every year by South Indians only.
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