Chennai: Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s upcoming biopic ‘800’ has landed into trouble as Vijay Sethupathi, who was supposed to play Muralitharan’s on-screen character, has pulled out of the movie.
Sethupathi’s decision came after the former spinner requested him to ‘leave the project’. According to the TOI, Muralitharan requested Sethupathi to drop out of the film because he was facing severe backlash and harsh criticism on social media for having signed the
Film.
On Monday (October 19) Sethupathi took to Twitter to share Muralitharan’s statement which read: “I am releasing this statement since there is a lot of controversy in Tamil Nadu around my biopic 800. I am aware of the flak Vijay Sethupathi has been receiving for signing my biopic. Don’t want one of the finest actors in Tamil Nadu to face any kind of trouble, hence I request him to drop out of the project.”
Muralitharan added that he has never given up when he has faced obstacles in his life and he will overcome this obstacle too. The cricketer said that he accepted his biopic because he thought it would inspire youngsters and aspiring cricketers.
“I believe we will overcome this obstacle and take this film to the audience. The makers of the film have told me they will come out with an announcement on the film soon, I would be helping them in all the ways I can,” he said, adding that he would like to thank the press, various media houses, politicians, actors from Kollywood, fans of Vijay Sethupathi fans and Tamil people for showing their support.
Ever since the official poster of the film released, the picture is doing rounds on social media. Fans on Twitter started trending #ShameOnVijaySethupathi. The Sri Lankan outfits were opposing Sethupathi’s casting as the lead in the film.
According to Scroll, ‘a number of political parties and Tamil nationalist sympathisers claimed that the film is an attempt to whitewash a figure who is problematic in Sri Lanka.
They were of the opinion that Sethupathi should not glorify Muralitharan, whose politics, they alleged, damaged to the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils.’
