Dhanush sings Rasathi Unna as a tribute to Captain Vijayakanth at Captain Miller pre-release event; here are the highlights of his speech

About Captain Miller and director Matheshwaran:

Dhanush then moved on to the subject at hand, Captain Miller. “The one word that defines Captain Miller is labour. It is made with blood and sweat. It is a film that was made by putting lives at stake. When the first single was released, you would have heard the line, ‘Do you believe in ghosts?’ That ghost is Arun Matheshwaran. He has put so much hard work into the film that I am embarrassed to say that I’ve also worked hard. The team took care of me like a flower, taking all the pain for themselves.”

Over the years, Dhanush has worked with many debutant directors, and Vetrimaaran was one among them who went on to become a powerful voice in Tamil cinema. “When I look at Arun Matheshwaran, he reminds me of Vetrimaaran in a lot of ways. I met Vetri while working with Balu Mahendra sir (for Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam). He came up to me and said that he had a script (Polladhavan). ‘Listen to it. If you are up for it, we will do it. Or else let it slide.’ The way he spoke to me left me wondering whether I went after him for a story or if he pitching it to me. Such was his confidence and arrogance. I see all of that in Arun… very fortunate to have found this talent. When I met him, I hadn’t watched Rocky. But therinjudhu idhu sambahvam panra kai nu. I feel lucky that I first got hold of him.”

About Shivarajkumar:

Shivarajkumar has played an extended cameo in Captain Miller. Ever since his appearance in Rajinikanth’s Jailer, the Kannada star has become a favourite of the Tamil audience. Talking about him, Dhanush said, “In many stages and interviews, you (Shivanna) keep saying that you are my fan, and that reassures me that I am doing something right. When you were speaking on the stage here and smiling, I could see your father and brother in that smile. It belonged to all three of you. One has to learn from you how to uphold the legacy of one’s father. My sons are here, and I hope they learn it from you.” 

About Captain Miller:

It has become a habit for Tamil stars to address their haters at audio launches and events such as this. Rajinikanth and Vijay initiated the trend, and Dhanush is following suit. While talking about Captain Miller, he took the opportunity to address the criticism. His statement was vague, but it received the intended applause. “Captain Miller is all about respect. Respect translates to freedom. You need respect have the freedom to express yourself. But, nowadays, it is not clear who commands respect here. One needs to think twice before doing or saying anything, and even after much deliberation, there is a crowd that wants to criticise everything that’s done. It is a small crowd, but it exists,” he said, and added, “The film is a complete action drama with a lot of larger-than-life fight sequences. Hope you enjoy it.”

Vada Chennai 2 is on the cards:

As Dhanush was about to conclude his speech, fans kept probing him about Vada Chennai 2, the sequel to the gangster drama, directed by Vetrimaaran. Dhanush said, “Vada Chennai 2. It will happen for sure. So many hearts have been pinning for it for so many years. So, of course, it will happen. It will have its time. We will talk about it when we get there.”

Dhanush was later asked about his opinions on a bunch of topics by the event’s host, Dhivya Dharshini. When asked about social media, Dhanush called it a ‘time thief’. “Social media steals your precious time even without you knowing it. Looking back you would realise, you had spent most of the time looking down on your phone,” he said. About friendship, he pointed at the film’s music composer GV Prakash, and said he is the best example of friendship.

The highlight of the event came towards the end of Dhanush’s time on stage. When he was asked to sing, Dhanush chose to sing the iconic song Raasathi Unna from Vijayakanth’s Vaidehi Kathirunthal. The whole stadium sang along with Dhanush, which turned out to be a perfect tribute to Captain, who passed away on December 28. Dhanush tweaked the lyrics of the song to make it all about Vijayakanth. He replaced the word Rasathi (Queen) with Raja (King), which made it all the more touching. 

#Dhanush sing #Rasathiunna song For Tribute to #CaptainVijayakanth !!! #CaptainMillerPreReleaseEvent #Shivanna #CaptainMillerAudioLaunch #puneetsuperstar #CaptainMillerPreReleaseEvent #CaptainMiller #Dhanush #PriyankaMohan #GVPrakash #Shivarajkumar #sundeepkishan pic.twitter.com/Z2vjsFCIYi

— Everyday Cinema (@EDC_Updates) January 3, 2024

Captain Miller will be out on January 12.