Muttiah Muralitharan Reacts To The Controversy Surrounding His Biopic

Former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s achievement of 800 Test wickets will receive a biopic named ‘800’, set to release by the end of next year. Nevertheless, Muttiah Muralitharan’s biopic has landed in a controversy even before its shoot start. Tamil actor Vijay Sethupati, who will play the 48-year old’s role, has faced the heat for merely playing the part of a Tamil-origin cricketer without raising his voice against the torture inflicted by Sri Lankan government on the Tamil population in the past.

Muttiah Muralitharan retired in July 2010 as the most successful off-spinner in the history of Test cricket. Muralitharan’s final wicket was that of Pragyan Ojha and he was eight victims adrift when he announced he would be playing his last game. The off-spinner revealed that he was a victim of atrocities against the Tamil population and agreed for a biopic to honour his parents and teachers for making him what he is today. At the same time, he disclosed having lost his loved ones, owing to the violence.

The film is set to be shot in Australia, Sri Lanka, England and India and will commence in 2021 to release it by the end of the year. The movie would be made in the Tamil language primarily; however, due to Muralitharan and Sethupati’s popularity, it will also be created in Hindi, Bengali, and Sinhalese. The Kandy-born off-spinner, who is currently serving as the spin-bowling coach of SunRisers Hyderabad, added that he has extended various kinds of support to the ostracized community and that his statements are being distorted for a political motive.

Muttiah Muralitharan’s biopic purely a sports biography:

Dar Motion pictures stated that the movie would purely be a sports biopic and does not favour any community by making a political statement. Dar Motion pictures added that it is a means to encourage youngsters not to give up on their dreams and will not have any scenes that will belittle the struggles of Eelam Tamils or hurt any sentiments.

“It is purely a sports biography. The film does not make any political statement favouring any community. This film is intended to be an inspiration for the young generation to achieve their dreams irrespective of the difficulties they come across in their journey. We as the producers assure that this film will not showcase any scenes that would belittle the struggles of Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka or hurt their sentiments in any way,” the statement read.

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