User reviews

I don't think Malayalam films have come up with any quality biopics in the past. "Captain" is a good tribute to V.P.Satyan. Jayasurya has given an exceptional performance in this biopic flick. The film is intense and shows us the struggles VP Satyan had to face in his career and life. I felt lags at many places, but that doesn't affect the feel of the movie. If you are a sports enthusiastic expecting a "ChakDe India" kind of enthusiasm, then this movie will be a total disappointment. The football sequences were below average (somewhat pathetic ..hmm) and could have been made better. Overall, this movie is a good effort and I expect more quality biopics from Malayalam in future.

The tragedy of one of the best Indian footballer V P Sathyan is shown in this heartfelt film with a powerful performance by Jayasurya. The first half goes like an ordinary sports film but the second half shows the problems that start from the injury to the leg which makes the protagonist depressed and suicidal. It's the portrayal of this depression along with the bureaucracy and the sports fans of India who are only taught to love cricket that makes the film impressionable. The story and it's possibilities are way better than the film itself but the heart of the makers are in the right place

Unlike usual biopics, which usually goes along the time line, this one swaps from present and past making us guess what could happen next. This story is about a race! A race who loves football more than their soul. The direction is so engaging that it keeps your eyes glued to the screen.

The gaming scenes have been pictured so realistically at wide canvas, that you doubt whether you are sitting in a Cinemas or in an actual Football gallery. Jayasurya has gone an all new level as an actor and lived the character with full life.

The movie is also a reminder that how Football, the most popular international game and its ardent, talented players, are being dim-lighted in the largest democratic country of India, while all the glitz and glamour are showered only upon Cricket.

A biopic movie par excellence, which makes you inspire, cry and arouse goosebumps when we come to know that we are indeed living in an era surrounded by such unsung heroes! A near classic!!

The movie is about a football player who had to struggle a lot in life because of his love towards the sport. It's taken really nicely and the movie is very emotional.

There is a scene in director Prajesh Sen's Captain where Anu Sithara's character tells her fiance that she would ideally want to marry one of those cricketer chaps than a football player. There are at least two more sequences that highlight this negative bias among Indian sports entertainment consumers towards football. Which is why it turns out to be a lukewarm sports drama about a hardcore football player than a solid biopic about him. Jayasurya, adding one more feather to his cap, plays former Indian football team captain V P Sathyan like he is playing him in real life. There is so much resemblance between the two, plus Jayasurya's dramatic performance, all of which make Captain a good watch until you start focusing on the game. With a production value of a rundown short film made for YouTube, the football action sequences in Captain look like they were played out in the director's backyard "paadam" (playground). The blame is on the DOP and the editor as well for the football shots are neither captured from an appreciable angle nor completed for the viewer's satisfaction. Most of the sequences are ahead of themselves and automatically conclude the scene without waiting for the action to even happen. Sithara is phenomenal as Sathyan's wife, and her character brings back hope for female characters in Mollywood. I am also not sure why the makers wanted to make this movie, for Sathyan's madness about football does not send out a positive message. Instead of a sportsman's patriotism and/or passion for the game, Captain emphasizes on the cons of a sports, and shows how they can wreck the lives of not only the player but also his near and dear ones. I am not a sports enthusiast, which is why I like to think that Sathyan's story is something that should be studied by aspiring sports players of today, because other than glory and money, it can damage you. Both physically and mentally. Despite having related to the end message, I cannot forgive the editor for sewing this up like a badly finished puzzle. Watching Captain just puts you off because of its terrible non-linearity and subdued execution, even though it boasts of some good music and performances. TN.