Cast: Dhanush, Shiva Rajkumar, Priyanka Mohan, Sundeep Kishan
Captain Miller, set in the 1930s, is the story of a rebel who stands against his oppressors ( Britishers and The King ) and is faced with an unfortunate circumstance where he has one chance to escape. He has a choice, whether to live as an unknown person amidst a crowd or stand with his people and fight for his respect and land. As the hero makes his choice, he is faced with a lot more than he expected, though the good people he meets along the way back him. It’s more than a one-man show and Dhanush manages to steal the spotlight as the main man.
Dhanush is one of the finest actors in town, as the titular character here, he plays his role with sincerity and brings out the emotion and angst of Captain Miller. Priyanka Mohan usually does the roles where she has to sit and look pretty but this role is just opposite to the stereotypical roles she is offered. She had a scope and had to bring out the character dept and she handled it beautifully. Far from what everyone has expected, Priyanka and Dhanush are not a couple in the movie, but both share a soft corner for each other and one will not have time to think about when they will get together as the movie and characters are faced with much more important things. Sundeep Kishan and Shiva Rajkumar with their extended cameo roles stole the show.
We’ve already seen Shiva Rajkumar in Jailer last year where he was a gangster with an untouchable swag but here he is a simple man who follows peaceful protests and fights for freedom. Similarly, one can expect Sundeep Kishan will come as a breaking character but it didn’t decrease the value he had in his moment. Special mention to Nivedhithaa Sathish, she aced her role as a fellow rebel and the conversations and dialogues between Dhanush and her are whistle worthy by itself. Jaya Prakash, John Kokken, Aditi Balan, Edward Sonnenblick play their parts with utmost sincerity. Acting wise one can’t point at any flaws. Cinematography was handled well too, especially those bike chase and fight shots are spectacularly done.
The music in the film needs a special mention, GV Prakash’s background score, celebration song everything complement the movie. The start of the killer killer song and the way Dhanush carried it throughout was pure goosebumps.
The movie starts off slow, takes time to build the story and reveal why they are doing what they are doing but it doesn’t drag , it keeps you engaged. These days, where directors struggle to carry forward the second half, the movie didn’t fall under that category and Arun Matheswaran made sure every boxes of filmmaking is ticked.
Not all may like this movie, because it has its fair share of guns, fights, blood and gore but that’s how people look and fight in the battlefield.
Verdict: If you want to watch Dhanush with his perfect blend of his mass and acting, don’t miss the movie.
Rating: 4/5
