# Captain Miller (film)
**Captain Miller** is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language action-adventure film directed by [Arun Matheswaran](https://www.edgepedia.org/arun-matheswaran), starring Dhanush as Analeesan "Eesa", a former soldier of the [British Indian Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-indian-army) who takes the name Captain Miller and turns against the British after witnessing an atrocity in 1930s pre-independence India.[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/26693/captain-miller/) • [2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/captain-miller) It was produced by Sathya Jyothi Films and released in Indian cinemas on 12 January 2024, over the Pongal festival.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2023/Nov/08/dhanush-arun-matheswarans-captain-miller-joins-the-pongal-2024-race-49365.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 12 January 2024 (India), moved from an earlier 15 December 2023 date to the Pongal festival window[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2023/Nov/08/dhanush-arun-matheswarans-captain-miller-joins-the-pongal-2024-race-49365.html) |
| Director and writer | Arun Matheswaran[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/26693/captain-miller/) |
| Lead cast | Dhanush, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Sundeep Kishan, Shiva Rajkumar[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/26693/captain-miller/) |
| Setting | 1930s India under the British Raj; a British Indian Army soldier becomes an outlaw after witnessing an atrocity[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/captain-miller) |
| Music and cinematography | G. V. Prakash Kumar (music), Siddharth Nuni (cinematography)[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2023/Nov/08/dhanush-arun-matheswarans-captain-miller-joins-the-pongal-2024-race-49365.html) |
| Box office | ₹1.048 billion (₹104.79 crore) worldwide in its first 12 days[4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema/captain-miller-worldwide-box-office-collection-day-12-dhanush-s-film-makes-104-79-crore-101706106543999.html) |
| Critical score | 89% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, from 9 reviews[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_miller) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and themes
The story is set in the 1930s during the [British Raj](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-raj). Analeesan, called Eesa, serves as a soldier in the British Indian Army; after witnessing an atrocity, he leaves the military and becomes the outlaw Captain Miller, protecting people from the British.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/captain-miller) Critics described the film as a tale of rebellion and redemption in which several characters confront their own contribution to oppression, with guilt running through the narrative.[9](https://scroll.in/reel/1062012/captain-miller-review-a-well-crafted-tale-of-rebellion-and-redemption) A Tamil-language review also noted that the first half centers on the oppression of dominant-caste people who built a temple to the deity Koranar Ayyanar and then barred the very people who built it from entering.[10](https://behindframes.in/captain-miller-movie-review/)
## Production and release
The film was announced as a high-budget period action drama pairing Dhanush with director Arun Matheswaran, with music by [G. V. Prakash Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/g-v-prakash-kumar) and cinematography by Siddharth Nuni.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2023/Nov/08/dhanush-arun-matheswarans-captain-miller-joins-the-pongal-2024-race-49365.html) It was initially scheduled for 15 December 2023, then officially moved to Pongal 2024, placing it in direct competition with Sivakarthikeyan's *Ayalaan* and other festival releases.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2023/Nov/08/dhanush-arun-matheswarans-captain-miller-joins-the-pongal-2024-race-49365.html) Director Matheswaran said the clash with *Ayalaan* was not planned; he, director [Ravikumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/ravikumar), and [Sivakarthikeyan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sivakarthikeyan) were friends who played cricket together.[6](https://www.cinejosh.com/news/1/104468/captain-miller-director-opens-up-about-clash-between-his-movie-and-ayalaan.html)
**Release pattern.** The film opened in Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi on 12 January 2024, with the Telugu version following on 26 January, Republic Day.[4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema/captain-miller-worldwide-box-office-collection-day-12-dhanush-s-film-makes-104-79-crore-101706106543999.html) In Tamil Nadu it was allotted about 450 theaters, the same count as *Ayalaan*, and the two films took the largest share of screens among the Pongal releases.[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/pongal-box-office-clash-dhanushs-captain-miller-and-sivakarthikeyans-ayalaan-take-up-maximum-screens-in-tamil-nadu-9105492/lite/) Lyca Productions acquired the theatrical rights and presented the film overseas.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2023/Nov/08/dhanush-arun-matheswarans-captain-miller-joins-the-pongal-2024-race-49365.html) Later distribution went to Sun TV for satellite television and Amazon Prime Video for streaming, where it also streams on Sun NXT.[8](https://tfapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/trade-guide-jan-2025_07.01.25_compressed-1.pdf) • [2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/captain-miller)
## Reception
**Critical response.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 89% Tomatometer score from 9 reviews.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_miller) [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) rated it 4 out of 5, writing that not a single moment in the 160-minute runtime meanders; India Today and Firstpost also gave 4 out of 5, and Scroll.in gave 3.5 out of 5, calling it "a well-crafted tale of rebellion and redemption".[11](https://www.1films.in/2024/01/live-captain-miller-movie-review-all-critics.html) [The Hindu](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hindu)'s review called it "a huge step up for Arun Matheswaran" and praised Dhanush's performance.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_miller) More reserved reviews included Cinema Express's 3 out of 5, which found the film emotionally unfulfilling despite blocks of brilliance, and a Moneycontrol review that judged the script to need more depth.[12](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/review/2024/Jan/12/captain-miller-movie-reviewblocks-of-brilliance-in-a-film-that-is-emotionally-unfulfilling-51172.html) • [13](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/captain-miller-review-12040951.html)
**Box office.** The film earned ₹1.048 billion (₹104.79 crore) worldwide in its first 12 days and held well on weekdays, according to trade figures reported by [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times).[4](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema/captain-miller-worldwide-box-office-collection-day-12-dhanush-s-film-makes-104-79-crore-101706106543999.html) A trade guide's tally of 2024 Tamil films lists ₹175 million (₹17.5 crore) in overseas earnings across territories for the film.[8](https://tfapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/trade-guide-jan-2025_07.01.25_compressed-1.pdf)
## Versions and runtime
The Indian theatrical version received a UA certificate with cuts reducing violent content, including a shortened climax; the certified cut runs 158 minutes from an uncut version of 162 minutes.[14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22170036/) IMDb lists the runtime as 2 hours 37 minutes (157 minutes), while Rotten Tomatoes and Apple TV list 2 hours 45 minutes.[14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22170036/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_miller) In the Hindi dubbed version, Dhanush's voice was dubbed by Aashish Chaudhary.[14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22170036/)
## References
1. [Captain Miller Tamil Movie, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/26693/captain-miller/)
2. [Captain Miller streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/captain-miller)
3. [Dhanush-Arun Matheswaran's Captain Miller joins the Pongal 2024 race, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/news/2023/Nov/08/dhanush-arun-matheswarans-captain-miller-joins-the-pongal-2024-race-49365.html)
4. [Captain Miller worldwide box office collection day 12: Dhanush's film makes ₹104.79 crore, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema/captain-miller-worldwide-box-office-collection-day-12-dhanush-s-film-makes-104-79-crore-101706106543999.html)
5. [Captain Miller, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_miller)
6. [Captain Miller director opens up about clash between his movie and Ayalaan, Cinejosh](https://www.cinejosh.com/news/1/104468/captain-miller-director-opens-up-about-clash-between-his-movie-and-ayalaan.html)
7. [Pongal box office clash: Dhanush's Captain Miller and Sivakarthikeyan's Ayalaan take up maximum screens in Tamil Nadu, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/pongal-box-office-clash-dhanushs-captain-miller-and-sivakarthikeyans-ayalaan-take-up-maximum-screens-in-tamil-nadu-9105492/lite/)
8. [New Tamil Film Releases During 2024: Complete List, TFAPA Trade Guide](https://tfapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/trade-guide-jan-2025_07.01.25_compressed-1.pdf)
9. ['Captain Miller' review: A well-crafted tale of rebellion and redemption, Scroll.in](https://scroll.in/reel/1062012/captain-miller-review-a-well-crafted-tale-of-rebellion-and-redemption)
10. ['Captain Miller' review, Behind Frames](https://behindframes.in/captain-miller-movie-review/)
11. [Captain Miller Movie Review: All Critics' Review Round-Up, 1Films.in](https://www.1films.in/2024/01/live-captain-miller-movie-review-all-critics.html)
12. [Captain Miller Movie Review: Blocks of brilliance in a film that is emotionally unfulfilling, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/review/2024/Jan/12/captain-miller-movie-reviewblocks-of-brilliance-in-a-film-that-is-emotionally-unfulfilling-51172.html)
13. [Captain Miller review: Dhanush's period drama is ambitious but unmoving, Moneycontrol](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/captain-miller-review-12040951.html)
14. [Captain Miller (2024), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22170036/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2020s › Tamil films of 2024*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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