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Captain Magal
1993 film by Bharathiraja From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Captain Magal (transl. The Captain's Daughter) is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film co-written, produced and directed by Bharathiraja, starring Raja and Khushbu. It was released on 14 January 1993.
 | This article's plot summary needs to be improved. (January 2025) |
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Plot
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An attempt to assassinate the Prime Minister is made during his visit to Chennai at a music fest. However, the Prime Minister escapes the gunshot, which instead hits the performing musician, Kalyan Kumar. The doctor advises Kalyan Kumar to rest in a hill station for a faster recovery. So, he heads to Black Valley Estate, which belongs to his wife, Kavitha, the daughter of a retired Captain, Sukumar, along with his sister, Rekha, and her husband, police officer Dilip. The police arrest one of the terrorists, Stephen, involved in the attack, but he refuses to reveal any information about the plan despite being subjected to custodial torture. At Black Valley, Rekha senses something ominous, especially when she encounters the mute estate househelp man with a disfigured face.
Kavitha runs into her former worker, horse trainer Rayappa, who had developed feelings for her when she was friendly with him. However, she didn't reciprocate his love, seeing him only as an employee. Rekha accidentally takes a photo of Rayappa, who demands she return the film. Kavitha intervenes, and Rayappa calms down, leaving. After a few days, Rekha and Dilip head back home. However, when Kavitha calls to check if they've arrived, she learns they haven't. Sensing something is wrong, Kavitha sets out to find them, following a trail of eagles. She discovers that Rekha and Dilip were brutally murdered. Meanwhile, Kalyan is found fainted near a stream and is rescued by two botany research students, Kumar and Elisa. Kumar offers to help Kavitha, who wants to keep the deaths of Rekha and Dilip a secret from Kalyan due to his heart condition.
However, when they reach the accident spot, they find no evidence of the gruesome murder Kavitha had described. Kumar suggests that Kavitha might have hallucinated the whole thing. Kavitha allows Kumar and Elisa to stay at her house, unaware of their true identities as terrorists responsible for the assassination attempt on the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the househelp finds a pair of Rekha's anklets, which Kavitha had given her, near a lake. This discovery confirms that Rekha and Dilip were indeed killed. When Kavitha and Kalyan discover the truth about Kumar and Elisa, they try to escape. However, they're caught by Livi, another terrorist, who holds them at gunpoint. The police, meanwhile, had been tracking the terrorists and had intentionally released Stephen with a GPS tracking device to catch the entire gang.
As the police track Stephen, Livi orders him to stay put, but he's killed by Rayappa "Robert", their leader and mastermind behind the assassination attempt. The police shoot him, but he escapes and reaches Black Valley, demanding that Kavitha bring a doctor to treat his gunshot wound. Kavitha cleverly calls her relative, Inspector Paulraj, for help, addressing him as Dr. Paulraj. However, it's Paulraj's daughter Anjali who answers, and she's unable to grasp the danger Kavitha is trying to convey. Anjali visits Kavitha and Kalyan, but they're forced to send her away under the terrorists' instructions. Kalyan uses a music piece to secretly convey their situation to Anjali. Understanding the gravity, Inspector Paulraj decides to visit Kavitha disguised as a doctor. Kavitha orders a fridge, and Paulraj promises to send it with alms to help them. However, when Kalyan and Kavitha open the fridge, they find Paulraj's corpse inside, revealing that Rayappa had decoded their hidden message.
The terrorists, Livi and Kumar, beat Kavitha and Kalyan, but Kalyan manages to overpower and hold Elisa hostage. During their escape, Kalyan is caught, and the terrorists mutilate his leg. Anjali, who had been searching for her father, is captured and killed by the terrorists, traumatizing Elisa. Elisa has a change of heart and decides to help Kalyan and Kavitha escape. However, Rayappa discovers her betrayal and kills her. Months pass, and the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Black Valley by private flight. The terrorists plan to launch a missile attack from the windmill in Black Valley, and Kavitha and Kalyan overhear their plan. As the police arrive for a check, Kavitha's househelp tries to signal them, but he's killed by the terrorists. Unbearable, Kavitha decides to take matters into her own hands to stop the assassination plan.
Kavitha and Kalyan cut the electric supply to the windmill and house, and Kavitha makes a break for the vent above the hearth. She escapes into the forest, with Robert hot on her heels. However, she outsmarts him by setting a foothold trap, which catches and Kavitha then sets his body ablaze. Meanwhile, Kalyan manages to kill Kumar using a two-wheeler silencer but faints in the process. Kavitha confronts Livi, luring her into the lake where Dilip and Rekha were killed. In the ensuing struggle, Kavitha kills Livi underwater. With the missile already set to target the Prime Minister's flight, Kavitha rushes back to the windmill. Just as she's about to stop the launch, a half-burned Robert appears, and a fierce fight ensues. Kavitha eventually overpowers and kills him.
Finally, Kavitha and Kalyan manage to manually deactivate the automated missile system, ensuring the Prime Minister's function proceeds successfully.
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Cast
- Raja as Kalyan "Kalyan" Kumar (voice dubbed by Nizhalgal Ravi)
- Khushbu as Kavitha
- Janagaraj as Inspector Paulraj
- Napoleon as Rayappa "Robert"
- G. M. Kumar as Kumar "GM"
- Horse Babu as Dilip
- J. Lalitha as Elisa
- Shanthini as Rekha
- Sangita as Anjali
- Ponvannan as a police officer
- Livingston as Livi
Production
According to Selvaraj, who wrote the film's story, the title was named after The Captain's Daughter, a novel by the Russian novelist Alexander Pushkin.[1] The film was partly shot at Ooty.[2] The sets of windmill and farmhouse were built there.[1]
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Hamsalekha and lyrics were written by Vairamuthu.[3] The song "Endha Pennilum Illadha" attained popularity.[4]
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Release and reception
Captain Magal was released on 14 January 1993, Pongal day.[5] Malini Mannath of The Indian Express likened it to "a C-grade English thriller, a pathetic attempt at making an action film. It has disjointed scenes, jerky narration and a loosely etched screenplay that seems more of a hotch-potch of various English films".[6] Kalki wrote that frame by frame throughout the film, one could see the director using his own techniques; when the story unfolds the techniques that is supposed to derail the story becomes like the mammoth elephant hiding in the tree.[7]
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References
External links
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