After helming two critically acclaimed revenge thrillers, Rocky (2021) and Saani Kaayidham (2022), director Arun Matheswaran solidifies his reputation as a filmmaker to watch out for with his third feature, Captain Miller, a historical Western action-adventure that skillfully tackles themes of freedom struggle and caste discrimination.
Set in India’s pre-independence era during British control, the film revolves around Eesa (Dhanush), who is fed up with the local prince’s caste oppression and decides to register in the British army, where he is given the alias Miller because the British officers cannot pronounce his name. After getting army training, he and his unit are dispatched on an assignment to kill everyone at a peaceful rally of people fighting for the country’s freedom. The massacre in which his compatriots are slaughtered disturbs and permanently scars him; as a result, he murders his English commanding officer and goes rogue, causing him to give up on life entirely, transforming into Captain Miller, an outlaw who commits robberies, sackings, and assaults and has a bounty of Rs. 10,000 on him. However, when faced with the choice between continuing to run and confronting the challenges of fighting for the freedom and lives of his villagers, he must look within.
Although the country’s fight for independence against British rule has been the subject of countless Indian films in the past, Arun Matheswaran takes a different approach by showing how the hardships of the struggle varied according to one’s social standing. For instance, if you belong to the lower caste, you must fight not just the British but also the local wealthy elite, who practice caste discrimination and exploit the impoverished. And this is precisely what Eesa and his fellow villagers, who belong to the lower caste, face in the film: the affluent local prince of the higher caste discriminates against them, forbids them from entering the temple they constructed, and treats them like dirt by torturing and humiliating them relentlessly and oppressing them to the extent that they are not even permitted to wear footwear. The film expertly and organically weaves significant social themes—still pertinent today—into the plot without being preachy or in your face, which allows it to elicit genuine and profound responses from audiences.
The film excels in delivering some breathtaking action set pieces, and they easily outshine Ridley Scott’s $200 million budget epic Napoleon (2023), another recently released historical action film. Consider the introductory scene of Eesa, where he and his horde of bandits ambush a police station guarded by British and Indian soldiers and kill them all because the soldiers had previously tormented the villagers, resulting in the death of one of them. Instead of directly showing the ambush, the makers cross-cut the scene with another in which Eesa dances hysterically around a fireplace, infusing a straightforward action sequence with a burst of vitality and ferocity. The action set pieces grow in size and intensity as the film progresses, be it the pre-interval heist scene involving a box (that functions as a McGuffin throughout the film) or the climactic action set piece, which the filmmakers approach as a pure war sequence on a grand scale. Cinematographer Siddhartha Nuni generally opens the action with breathtaking wide shots that set the scene’s geography and scope. As the action unfolds, the camera draws closer to the characters, and quick cuts add tension and an adrenaline rush by creating a sense of urgency. Additionally, G.V. Prakash Kumar’s pulsating background score, which has a blend of folk instruments and Western style—reminiscent of Ennio Morricone’s score in certain sections—along with a few whistling tunes and bell sounds, enhances the dramatic impact of these scenes to another level.
Despite having previously portrayed characters who fight against caste discrimination in films such as Asuran (2019) and Karnan (2021), Dhanush still gives an electrifying performance that engrosses the audience by seamlessly embodying his character’s metamorphosis. It is basically Eesa’s coming-of-age story, beginning with his desire to join the British army to escape oppression based on caste. Reasonable yet innocent, he rationalizes his decision by claiming that he will at least have freedom in the military, where he can wear a uniform, sleep on a bed, wear boots, and receive military training. However, as the film progresses, it becomes about his identity struggle as he constantly strives to find his place in the world and his life’s purpose. Furthermore, the show-stealing extended cameo by Dr. Shiva Rajkumar as Sengolan—Eesa’s older brother and a freedom fighter—who initially wanted a nonviolent independence struggle—produces some whistleworthy moments.
Captain Miller movie links: IMDB, Letterboxd
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