It has become hard to write about Tamil cinema without mentioning Quentin Tarantino. His influence is now omnipresent. While most try only to emulate his ‘cool’ aesthetics, where even violence becomes fun, Arun Matheswaran digs deeper. It is not just the style; Arun Matheswaran recreates the catharsis that one gets from watching Django Unchained.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Captain Miller an Indian Django Unchained. The parallels are obvious. If Django Unchained is the journey of an empowered slave with a bounty hunter, Captain Miller is the story of a caste-oppressed villager. Instead of Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), we have Kannaiya (Elango Kumaravel). For one Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), we have many stand-ins like Kumastha Kanagasabai (Kali Venkat) and sepoy James (Ashwin Kumar). Of course, the politics of black slavery and Indian casteism are two different oppression machines, and that’s where Arun Mateswaran’s brilliance lies. He brings in so many layers to this political drama, which masquerades as an action-driven star vehicle.
Also Read | Arun Matheswaran: ‘Captain Miller is my least violent movie yet’
Captain Miller has chapters. The first chapter opens with Eesaa (Dhanush)’s mom telling kids folklore about their deity and temple, which were built by their people. The temple into which they now can’t enter. The temple in which a secret is hidden, which has the power to liberate the people. The secret about their god, in whose name they are oppressed. That is the core of Captain Miller.
It subtly and very carefully puts forth the politics behind the gods of the natives and Hinduism. To weave such an intricate and explosive subject into an action-drama shows the brilliance of Arun Matheswaran’s writing, who doesn’t spell out things for you.
These subtexts would have fallen flat had the action and drama not worked. Superficially, Captain Miller is the story of a guilt-ridden sepoy who revolts against the British Empire. When he is unable to take the oppression meted out by the king of his village, he joins the British army for respect. Instead of respect and honor, he is given guilt. When Eesa realizes he has made a pact with a bigger devil, he becomes a lone wolf, a traitor to his village, and a vigilante to the British army. It is all woven brilliantly. At any given instance, multiple story arcs keep unraveling with incredible lucidity. Not even a single moment goes to waste. The audiences have no choice but to respect and be engrossed in the story being narrated with a splendid flair. When films have become reels of mass moments, the heroism in Captain Miller lies not just in the acts of the hero but in the drama. There are umpteen moments when the audience goes berserk, but it is hard to differentiate whether it’s for Dhanush or Captain Miller or Arun Matheswaran.
The director is known for his cinematography and incredible frames. With cinematographer Siddhartha Nuni’s contribution, Arun has yet again upheld his reputation. I overheard someone saying with frustration, “Yenda camera va aatikitae irukaan (Why the hell is shaking the camera constantly?)” And that’s the point of the chaotic shakes during the battles. But when the director wants you to linger on the sprawling dry land and its beauty, he treats you to his trademark extreme wide shots. And when he places his hero in the center of the frame, it gets immensely heroic. As a standalone track, GV Prakash’s “Killer Killer” is showy and ‘wannabe’, but when things hit the crescendo, nothing would have sufficed or complemented the cinema other than the over-the-top composition and lyrics.
Finally, about the devil himself; Dhanush is the hero Tamil cinema needs, who, I hope, would inspire many to understand that a story creates its hero and not the other way around. When talking about Captain Miller, no one would wonder whether it’s the star’s film or the director’s, a brain-dead debate that springs up whenever a star vehicle is released. In Captain Miller, he is everything the script needs him to be. He lets others take their credit. Even a nameless character with an uber-cool look gets his due hoots in the film, and that’s the success of Captain Miller.
Captain Miller Indian Express Rating: 4 / 5
Captain Miller Director: Arun Matheswaran
Captain Miller Cast: Dhanush, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Elango Kumaravel, Sandeep Kishan, Shivaraj Kumar
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
