Vijay Sethupathi drops out of Muthiah Muralidaran’s biopic ‘800’ amid pressure from politicians, fringe

Chennai: Nearly a week after the first look of Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi’s film ‘800’ was unveiled, the actor on Monday (October 19, 2020) dropped out of the biopic based on the Sri Lankan cricketer Muthiah Muralitharan amid pressure from politicians and fringe elements in Tamil Nadu. 

“Thank you.. greetings”, Sethupathi tweeted, sharing a letter from Muralitharan that stated that doing the film would cause harm to the actor’s career and hence he was being asked to quit the project.

In a statement in Tamil, Muralitharan said that he was not a stranger to controversies and that he would like to express his thoughts on the latest controversy sparked by the announcement of his biopic. 

“I was hesitant at first when the producers approached to make a movie on my life. But, later, I thought the movie would be the right opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of my parents, teachers, coaches and co-players in my success,” he said.

“Due to a misunderstanding, many people were pressuring actor Vijay Sethupathi to drop out of ‘800’. I request Vijay Sethupathi to drop out of the project, on the grounds that I don’t want any problems caused to one of the finest actors in Tamil cinema. This is also done considering that his future journey in the creative world is not affected,” read the Sri Lankan legendary cricketer’s letter. 

He also added that he had gotten thus far in life after facing obstacles in every stage and mentioning that he had agreed for the film so that it could encourage aspiring cricketers and future generations, and this too had faced obstacles, he assured that he would overcome this one as well. 

He expressed his thanks towards the media, politicians, fans of Vijay Sethupathi, and the people of Tamil Nadu who had supported him under the circumstances. 

The controversy surrounding the biopic erupted after it was announced that Sethupathi would be donning the role of the Srilankan-Tamil spinner in the biopic. Fringe outfits and mainstream politicians and even those from the cine-world in Tamil Nadu had condemned and expressed dissatisfaction and veiled threats to the actor and the film.

Honoured to be a part of this landmark project. Update soon #MuthiahMuralidaran @MovieTrainMP #MuralidaranBiopic #MSSripathy #Vivekrangachari @proyuvraaj pic.twitter.com/lUbJwyiDsy

— VijaySethupathi (@VijaySethuOffl) October 8, 2020

After the initial criticism that erupted against the film, Murali had clarified that some of his statements were twisted to portray him in bad light. It is particularly his comment about 2009 being the happiest year of his life (the year when the Civil war ended in Sri Lanka), that is often the target of his detractors among the fringe in Tamil Nadu. 

“Thinking from the point of view of a common man. I grew up during wartime and you never know what happens next. My playmate at school wouldn’t be alive to play with me again the next day. As the war came to an end, as a common citizen, I thought about security. And in the last 10 years, there was no loss of life on both sides. And that’s why I opined that the year 2009 was the happiest year of my life. I had never endorsed the killings of innocent people, and I would never do such a thing in the future too,” he said. 

Muralidharan even reasoned that he was being criticized as he was a Sri Lankan Tamil and a cricketer who played for that country. He added that if he were to be born in India he would have tried to play for the Indian cricket team. 

He accused some people of targeting him and painting him as being against the Tamil community. 

While a large number of personalities came out to attack the actor for his choice to do the film, very few came out to defend his artistic freedom. Surprisingly, otherwise vocal associations of film actors and directors etc have remained silent on this issue. 

Actors Sarathkumar, Raadhika Sarathkumar and member of Parliament Karti P Chidambaram were among the few who came out in support of the actor and his decision.

Muralidharan also said in the letter that the producers would recast the main role and that the biopic would soon be available for fans and the larger audience. 

The film is said to go on floors from March 2021 and is slated to be filmed in different cricketing nations like India, Sri Lanka, England and Australia, among other locations. Considering Muralidharan’s stellar reputation in the world of cricket, the producers are planning to dub the movie in Hindi, Bengali, Sinhalese, with English subtitles. 

This is to be noted that Muralidharan is the first and only one to scalp 800 wickets in Tests and is also the leading wicket getter in the ODIs (534).