Captain Malayalam Movie

Feature Film | 2018 | UA
Critics:
Audience:
This poignant biopic is a befitting tribute to former Indian football captain V.P. Sathyan. 'Captain' usurps all hearts with its astute treatment sans drama and candid portrayal of reality.
Feb 17, 2018 By K. R. Rejeesh

Where To Watch:
Streaming:
   Disney+hotstar
DVD Release: May 03 2018

In an airport, when Indian football captain V.P. Sathyan and his wife are waiting for a flight, nobody recognises this great defender. Like insult to the injury, a couple of girls borrow his pen to get an autograph from a cricket player, who arrives at the VIP lounge. There is no better scene to showcase the state of football players in India that time as shown in the film "Captain," a biopic on one of the country's greatest defenders of the game.


Sathyan encounters disgusting experiences in life, on and off the field, and his leg injury aggravates his depression. With a sulky mind, he bids adieu to his life. Jayasurya as V.P. Sathyan leaves some in pain and some in remorse. The depth of emotion finds its zenith in the character and he exudes well the angst and disappointment of the player. Albeit the mind is craving for playing more matches, the injury in his leg curtails his career. The bitter experiences from people around him also give a push to evoke the ennui in him.


Jayasurya lives up to the expectations in portraying highly sensitive characters. It's a delight to watch in Jayasurya the phases of changes that occur in Sathyan's life. Anu Sithara's portrayal of Sathyan's wife Anitha is subtle and serious. The character is a litmus test for Anu in terms of showing maturity and giving support to Sathyan as he is sinking deeply in the untraceable trenches of life. She has given a great performance with restraint expressions that are sufficient to leave viewers choking with emotion.


Deepak Parambol essays the character Sharafali, the former football player in Kerala Police team. He is the bosom friend of Sathyan and stands by him through thick and thin.


Kudos to debutant writer-director G. Prajesh Sen for the manner he presents a biopic without the intrusion of cinematic fripperies and being faithful to Sathyan's life story. Prajesh makes a candid attempt to showcase his life by randomly flashing the events to create the feel of purgation of minds at the end. However, the portrayal of South Korean players and the spectators at the stadium during a match appears farfetched as the players have no resemblance to the Koreans! The cinematography by Roby Varghese Raj, especially during the football matches is riveting and laudable.


No wonder if this journey through the eventful life of this Kannur-based player haunts our minds. A befitting and touching tribute to the great player!

K. R. Rejeesh

   

USER REVIEWS
Sreejith

Kerala footballers used to travel in second class train to play santhosh trophy outside the state. What "Captain," gets ... Show more
Kerala footballers used to travel in second class train to play santhosh trophy outside the state. What "Captain," gets right is the portrayal of the central character, which is nether too hagiographic nor overtly critical. There are clever scenes in this film, which makes us critically analyze V. P. Sathyan the man. Did he make right career choice? Prajesh Sen's film provoke questions instead of condescending with his versions. It's a workmanlike biopic on a defender. Don't expect gung-ho goals
Ajith Edassery

This is one of the sports biopics that doesn't depict heroism, patriotism etc. The movie instead deals with the other as... Show more
This is one of the sports biopics that doesn't depict heroism, patriotism etc. The movie instead deals with the other aspects of human lives - like rejection, depression and all that can go wrong when a sportsperson suffers an injury or ignored by the fans in our one-sport nation. Anu Sithara,Jayasuriya and all supporting actors have done an excellent job. The bad part though, is many technical flaws (e.g. agility of soccer players, Korean team looks like Indians) Despite this, a must watch!
Rajoy Alfes

Captain is like a book which would have been very interesting to read, had the pages been arranged properly. The problem... Show more
Captain is like a book which would have been very interesting to read, had the pages been arranged properly. The problem is with the loosely written screenplay and also poor editing. But keeping that aside, the movie is worth watching for the brilliant performance of Jayasurya in the boots of V P Satyan. His moments of glory on the playground, frustration and disillusionment have been portrayed well by the seasoned actor. Anu Sithara has also done well as his devoted wife. Go for it.
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