Starring Dhanush, 'Captain Miller' is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Is this period drama worth watching? Or you can skip it? Read the full review to find out.
When the trailer of Dhanush’s ‘Captain Miller’ was released online, it caused an uproar. Fans were in love with this new avatar of the actor. The trailer became the talk of the town. The film was released in theatres during the Makar Sankranti week. It made over Rs 100 crore at the box office since its release. After a successful run in theatres, the movie is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. In case you decide to watch the film over the weekend, here’s all that you need to know about it.
The story of ‘Captain Miller’ revolves around Eesa or Analeesan. Eesa joined the British troops because he felt that they treated them with more respect than the kings in his village. The King forbade his tribe from entering the village temple and also treated them poorly because they hailed from the lower caste. One day British Army asked him and his friends to shoot at his villagers because they were protesting for freedom. That is when things changed. He realized that he needed to fight the Britishers and the King to protect the idol that rightfully belonged to his tribe.
It would be a sin to talk about the other actors of ‘Captain Miller’ when Dhanush has absolutely hit it out of the ballpark. When I was watching this film, I kept the fact that I have a huge crush on Dhanush aside. I watched it objectively. But Dhanush’s screen presence was terrific. At no single point did I feel like I was watching Dhanush, the actor. I knew I was looking at Eesa and watching his story unfold before me. As a dacoit, a leader, a friend, and a son, Dhanush nailed every aspect of his role with perfection.
The casting was top notch and that is evident from how brilliantly the other actors have performed. The other actors simply supported Dhanush and elevated the film. They were good in their individual scenes but whenever Dhanush came to the centre, he took all the limelight. And I am not complaining. ‘Captain Miller’ belongs solely to Dhanush.
The film has been beautifully shot. The cinematography by Siddhartha Nuni is excellent. Certain shots leave you with thoughts. I still cannot forget that shot where a charred hand is visible on a staff after a dynamite blast. Apart from the symbolic shots that give you goosebumps; the camera work is also brilliant. The battle shots are shaky and that is exactly why it works so well with the film.
Apart from the cinematography, the music by G. V Prakash Kumar just adds a beautiful touch to the film. The album has an eclectic mix of folk songs, war songs, songs of rebellion, and songs that exude a warm touch. I don’t think there was any song in the movie that I skipped because the songs served a purpose. They helped the plot move forward.
Coming to the script, this subject of Kings vs Tribals vs British has been used and overused. But the script was penned well. It does not need a lot of telling. It slowly unfolds as the plot moves and this is where the beauty lies. The script could have been a cliché but Arun Matheswaran worked his magic.
The action sequences were well choreographed. But the only part where it felt stretched was the climax. The action in the climax could have been easily chopped. The climax felt so unnecessarily overstretched that I found myself skipping through scenes, yet I didn’t miss any important action.
Director: Arun Matheswaran
Cast: Dhanush, Shiva Rajkumar, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Aditi Balan, Sundeep Kishan
Available On: Netflix
Duration: 2 Hours 15 Minutes
No. The action sequences can get graphic for young viewers.
‘Captain Miller’ has all the elements of a mass film. But it leaves you wondering if this mass is enough. The film has taken a tried and tested plot that never fails, and it clearly works here. However, the way it has been treated feels like it misses the substance and the juice. As the movie ended, I found myself feeling incomplete. The lack of substance hit me towards the end because I was expecting something better and larger. The film has tackled the issues of caste and class, but it simply feels superficial and surface level. It had the potential to go deeper and gnaw your insides. In case you want an action film that just touches upon the important issues, ‘Captain Miller’ should be your pick. However, if you want something that impacts you, this Dhanush is just not it. I am going with 3.5 stars.