The year 2024 began on a good note for Tamil star Dhanush. His first outing of the year Captain Miller collected a decent amount at the box office. The movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and viewers are enjoying streaming it. While the film revolves around the pre-independence era, it is loosely based on a true story.
Ahead of the movie’s release, Arun Matheswaran revealed that he was inspired by the nom de guerre Captain Miller of the Black Tigers of the LTTE. While he could not bring the late soldier’s life to the big screen due to its controversial aspects, he took inspiration to write his main character.
What is Dhanush starrer Captain Miller’s story?
During an interview with Open Pannaa, director Arun Matheswaran revealed that Captain Miller’s plot was based on a true incident that took place in 1987. It was during the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle that the first Black Tiger attack took place.
The director said, “This idea came to me much earlier. My uncle is in the military. Some of the things he told me when I was young motivated me a lot to make this film. The genesis of this thing… it came to mind after hearing about a true incident that took place in 1987, during the Sri Lankan civil war.”
Arun Matheswaran admitted that the story he had in his mind was too controversial. Therefore, he narrated the inspired story of Captain Miller against the backdrop of British-led India. The director said, “To make it acceptable, I set the story in the pre-independence era so that no questions would arise and there would be no controversy. But still, it is a painful story.”
Captain Miller’s official synopsis reads, “During British India, when the anti-colonial freedom struggle is at its peak, Esan Aka Annalesan enlists in the British army to gain dignity. The story unfolds with Esan leading a mutiny against the British tyranny stemming from the brazen massacre of Indians. As the most wanted person in the Presidency, he emerges to protect his settlement and clan from the British regiment’s bludgeon attacks.”
