The trailer of Arun Matheswaran's Captain Miller opens with a voiceover as someone asks Dhanush, "Nee vellakaaran kannuku kollaikaaran, oor kaaran kannuku dhrogi, unamilaye nee yaaru?" (You are a thief in the eyes of the British and a traitor in the eyes of the common people, but who exactly are you?)
Set in the pre-independent era, Captain Miller seems to chronicle a community's fight against Britishers and people in power. The frames are of warmer tones, often lit by bomb blasts and gun shots. "If I were a killer like you, I would've murdered him. I want him dead," says Priyanka Mohan. We also get glimpses of her in royal costumes. "I am the Devil," Dhanush says, as the trailer cuts to show us another version of him: army Captain Miller.
The sleek trailer gives us enough information about the central plot but also leaves us wondering how the captain became a rebel and what becomes of this fight. GV Prakash's background music underscores the struggle, while often the sounds of gunshots and stabs as well as the editing choices in the trailer makes the violence feel aesthetic.
Captain Miller is written and directed by Arun Matheswaran, with dialogues by Madhan Karky. The film is backed by Satya Jyothi Films, with the producers being Sendhil and Arjun Thyagarajan. It also stars Sundeep Kishan, Priyanka Mohan, Dr. Shivarajkumar, and Edward Sonnenblick among others. GV Prakash Kumar has composed the music while Siddhartha Nuni has handled the cinematography. The film will hit the screens on January 12.