R ARIVANANTHAM
In the land of ‘Vaikom Veerar’ Periyar EVR, even after 75 years of Independence, in the name of caste dharma the lower caste people are still denied access to the temples and the streets surrounding the temple. Caste cauldron is taking its toll in ‘Kalvi sirantha’ (highy educated) Tamil Nadu. Creation of ‘Samathuvapurams’ (egalitarian colonies) have failed to make any tangible results, especially down south Tamil Nadu.
Trailer:
‘Captain Miller’ is one more attempt by the cine industry to change the mindset of the communities at large. The director and the hero have done their part very well to drive home this message with brilliant dialogues and portrayal of the character.
- In the land of ‘Vaikom Veerar’ Periyar EVR, even after 75 years of Independence, in the name of caste dharma the lower caste people are still denied access to the temples and the streets surrounding the temple
- Director Arun Matheswaran portrays Dhanush as fiery and transitions from an aspiring young soldier to a vigilante and finally emerges as the leader to protect the villagers from the hands of royal family and the bullets of British army
- The director and the hero have done their part very well to drive home this message with brilliant dialogues and portrayal of the character
National Award-winning Superstar Dhanush’s ‘Captain Miller’ is a strong pitch against tyranny and oppression by the royal family who prevents caste-Hindus from entering in to the temple. ‘Captain Miller’ is another feather in the cap of Superstar Dhanush after the national award winning ‘Asuran’.
Director Arun Matheswaran portrayed Dhanush as fiery and transitions from an aspiring young soldier to a vigilante and finally emerges as the leader to protect the villagers from the hands of royal family and the bullets of British army.
The entire movie was set in a tiny remote village in the pre-Independence era, and Captain Miller takes a strong stand against oppression.
Eesa (Dhanush), a boy from an oppressed caste joins the British army. He seeks respect and freedom from the discrimination he is subjected to by the royal family who prevents caste-Hindus from entering into the temple. Eesa and the caste-Hindus from his village are denied entry into the temple they built. They are also considered unworthy of footwear. He joins the military in the hopes of being able to wear shoes, which is part of the uniform. On joining them, he gets a new name – Miller. He is hopeful of making a better life for himself. But when he is tasked with killing his own people, who are protesting against the Britishers, he realized the real pain.
He kills the British commander who was in-charge for shooting innocent caste-Hindus and flees. The narrative then follows his adventures as he meets and joins guerrilla forces is the rest of the film.
Kannada Superstar Shivarajkumar as Sengolan, elder brother of Eesa steals the show with his portrayal of a freedom fighter.
The movie directed by Arun Matheswaran, Captain Miller begins with a woman narrating a folk tale of the Koranar deity (in the form of a gemstone) which has been protecting the village and its people for about 600 years.
She mentions the gemstone is hidden somewhere in the village. The first half of the film is intriguing as the narrative takes brave turns. However, post interval, continuous action sequences slow down the pace. The narrative gets back its momentum close to the end with an exciting plot twist.
Eesa is tasked with retrieving the gemstone which is now acquired by the British. His mission is successful. However, for a film that is largely progressive.
Story and screen play accompanied with stunning long shots and a compelling background score by GV Prakash, the ‘Captain Miller’ is a real edutainment for the audience for Pongal.
Cast:
Dhanush; ShivarajKumar; Priyankha Mohan; Sandeep Kishan; John Kokken; Kaali Venkat; Edward Sonnenblick; Nivedhitha Sathish; Vinoth Kishan; Adithi Balan; Viji Chandrasekhar; Jeyaprakash; Elango Kumaaravel; Bose Venkat and Moor.
Crew:
Production : Sathya Jyothi Films
Producers : TG Thyagarajan
: Sendhil Thyagarajan
: Arjun Thyagarajan
Co-producers : G. Saravanan
: Sai Siddharth
Written & Direction : Arun Matheswaran
Music : G.V.Prakash
Cinematography : Siddhartha Nuni
Dialogue : Madhan Karky
Editor : Nagooran
Art Director : T.Ramalingam
Costume Designing : Poornima Ramasamy & Kavya Sriraam
Stunts : Dhilip Subbarayan
