It was previously reported that actor Vijay Sethupathi, who was last seen in Ka Pae Ranasingam, has been roped in to play Sri Lankan Tamil bowler Muthiah Muralitharan. On Thursday, Vijay Sethupathi confirmed the news by tweeting a poster of the film and stating that he was honoured to be a part of this landmark project.
The film is rumoured to be titled 800 and will be directed by MS Sripathy. Malayalam star Rajisha Vijayan is playing the female lead. According to reports, veteran cinematographer RD Rajasekhar, who is known for several blockbusters, has been roped in as the cinematographer and he had travelled to Sri Lanka for location scouting. Sam CS is the composer. The film is being produced by Vivek Rangachari.
Reports say that 800 will trace the struggles faced by the cricketer during his initial stages and his rise to popularity. The film joins the growing list of sports biopics that are being made in south Indian cinema. The official update will happen soon, the poster says.
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
Vijay Sethupathi has a string of films in different languages needing his attention. One of his most expected films in Kollywood is Master, which has Vijay in the lead role. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Master is an action-thriller produced by Xavier Britto under the banner XB Film Creators. The film stars Vijay as the hero while Vijay Sethupathi plays the villain. The soundtrack has been composed by Anirudh Ravichander. The cinematography is by Sathyan Sooryan and the editing is by Philomin Raj. Master was due for release in April but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The star’s Maamanithan is in the making. Directed by Seenu Ramasamy, the film has Vijay Sethupathi in the lead with Gayathrie S as the female lead. The star cast also has Guru Somasundaram and Shaji Chen playing pivotal roles. Laabam, another movie starring Vijay Sethupathi, directed by SP Jananathan, was also under progress until the lockdown was announced a few months ago. This film has Shruti Haasan playing the female lead.
In Kadaisi Vivasayi, which is in the post production, Vijay Sethupathi will be making a cameo appearance. M Manikandan is directing this venture. The star also has Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir, Tughlaq Durbar and Vignesh Shivan’s Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal in the making.
Besides these Tamil films, the actor also has Uppena in Telugu and Laal Singh Chaddha in Hindi. In Uppena, Vijay Sethupathi will be seen playing a pivotal role and his look in the film, which was unveiled, shows him sporting a white shirt and dhoti and stylishly sitting on a chair while smoking a cigarette. Reports say that he will be playing the heroine’s dad. The film is directed by debutant Buchi Babu Sana, the scriptwriter of the hit movie Rangasthalam, and produced by Y Naveen, Y Ravi Shankar and CV Mohan under the banner Mythri Movie Makers and Sukumar Writings. The film was slated for release on April 2 but was postponed.
Laal Singh Chaddha is bankrolled jointly by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Aamir Khan Productions. Aamir Khan confirmed that the film is the adaptation of the Hollywood movie Forrest Gump and that the remake rights have been officially purchased.
(With inputs from Digital Native)