Captain Miller at the worldwide box office
In India, it earned 49.25 crores net, which equals a gross of 58.11 crores. In overseas, a collection of 17.50 crores gross has been obtained.
Captain Miller is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language epic action adventure film directed by Arun Matheswaran and produced by Sathya Jyothi Films. The film is the first part of a planned trilogy, and stars Dhanush in the title role, with Shiva Rajkumar, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Aditi Balan, Sundeep Kishan, Edward Sonnenblick and John Kokken in supporting roles. Set in the 1930s, during the British Raj, it follows a former British Army soldier trying to save his home village from destruction by the British Army.
Arun wrote the script in 2018 and Sathya Jyothi Films was to produce it. However, nothing was finalised then until 2019 when it started to come into shape. It was tentatively titled D47 (Dhanush’s 47th film in a lead role). The film was announced in July 2022. Principal photography commenced that September and wrapped by late 2023, taking place in Chennai, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi. The music is composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, with cinematography handled by Siddhartha Nuni and editing by Nagooran Ramachandran.
Directed by: Arun Matheswaran
Screenplay by: Arun Matheswaran, Madhan Karky
Story by: Arun Matheswaran
Produced by:
- Sendhil Thyagarajan
- Arjun Thyagarajan
Starring:
- Dhanush
- Shiva Rajkumar
- Priyanka Arul Mohan
- Aditi Balan
- Sundeep Kishan
Cinematography: Siddhartha Nuni
Edited by: Nagooran Ramachandran
Music by: G. V. Prakash Kumar
Production company: Sathya Jyothi Films
Distributed by: (information not provided)
Release date: 12 January 2024
Running time: 157 minutes
Country: India
Language: Tamil
Budget: ₹50 crore
Box office: ₹104.79 crore
Cast:
- Dhanush as Analeesan “Easa” / Captain Miller
- Shiva Rajkumar as Sengolan alias Senganna
- Sundeep Kishan as Captain Rafiq
- Priyanka Arul Mohan as Velmathi
- Aditi Balan as Princess Shakunthala
- Edward Sonnenblick as General Andrew Wandy
- John Kokken as Prince Jayavardhan
- Nivedhithaa Sathish as Thaenu
- Vinoth Kishan
- Alexx O’Nell as Riley
- Elango Kumaravel as Kannaya
- Pintu Pandu as Kaali
- Viji Chandrasekhar as Pechaiamma
- Kaali Venkat as Kumastha Kanagasabai
- “Merku Thodarchi Malai” Antony
- Jayaprakash as King Rajadhipathi
- Bose Venkat
- Abdool Lee as Sembatta / Stephen
- Ashwin Kkumar
- Arunodhayan as Ayyavu
- Swayam Siddha
Production:
In 2018, Arun Matheswaran penned a script slated for production by T. G. Thyagarajan’s Sathya Jyothi Films. Given that the script was tailored with Dhanush in mind, Arun shared it with the actor. However, no definitive agreement was reached, and the project was revisited in 2019. In late October 2020, Arun and Dhanush convened to explore the prospects of collaborating on the venture. Dhanush, intrigued by the script’s narrative, expressed keen interest in the project, which was slated for production following Arun’s prior commitments. By April 2021, reports indicated that Sathya Jyothi Films would produce the film, marking Dhanush’s 47th venture. Subsequently, on December 24 of that year, Dhanush confirmed his partnership with Arun.
Initially referred to as D47, denoting Dhanush’s 47th leading role, the film underwent a title change in April 2022 to “Captain Miller,” set in the 1930s, as per multiple sources. In an interview later that month, Arun clarified that the film did not center on the real-life LTTE rebel Captain Miller. Instead, it was described as an action-adventure spectacle, designed with a substantial budget to appeal to a broader audience and devoid of item songs. On July 2 of the same year, the film was officially christened “Captain Miller,” a nod to Tom Hanks’s character in “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), as per the director’s admiration. The project underwent meticulous pre-production over a year for intricate detailing.
G. V. Prakash Kumar was enlisted for music composition, having previously collaborated with Dhanush on seven projects. Shreyaas Krishna was initially tasked with cinematography but was replaced by Siddhartha Nuni during filming in mid-January 2023. Nagooran Ramachandran, chosen for editing, had prior collaborations with the director on “Rocky” (2021) and “Saani Kaayidham” (2022).
Music:
| Track No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Killer Killer” | Kaber Vasuki | Dhanush | 3:40 |
| 2. | “Un Oliyile” | Kaber Vasuki | Sean Roldan | 3:30 |
| 3. | “Koranaaru” | Umadevi | Deva, Santosh Hariharan, Alexander Babu | 3:22 |
| 4. | “Kombari Vettapuli” | Vivek | Dhee | 3:28 |
| 5. | “Rise of Miller” | Arunraja Kamaraj | Arunraja Kamaraj | 3:06 |
Release:
Captain Miller was released theatrically on 12 January 2024, the week of Pongal. It was previously scheduled for 15 December 2023. The film was released in both IMAX and 2D formats.
