The sensational reveal of actor Vijay Sethupathi as cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan in his upcoming biopic titled 800 based on the latter’s life was released on Tuesday. The first look motion poster is a little over a minute long and is entirely animated graphics telling the story of a cricketer from a war-torn country. Towards the very end, Muttiah’s caricature morphs into Vijay Sethupathi’s and we are briefly shown the actor’s uncanny transformation to resemble one of the best bowlers in international cricket.
The biopic is being directed by MS Sripathy and produced by Movie Train Motion Pictures and Vivek Rangachari. According to a release from the film’s team 800 will be shot in Sri Lanka, UK, Australia, and India beginning early 2021. The film is expected to be ready for release late next year.
MURALIDARAN BIOPIC... Motion poster of #MuralidaranBiopic... Titled #800TheMovie... Stars #VijaySethupathi as cricketer #MuthiahMuralidaran... Directed by #MSSripathy... Produced by Movie Train Motion Pictures and Vivek Rangachari. pic.twitter.com/9RuAeCK7BB
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) October 13, 2020
While 800 will be shot in Tamil, the makers have plans to have it dubbed in all South Indian languages, as well as Hindi, Bengali, and Sinhalese. An international version with English subtitles is also being planned.
"Once the script was ready, we thought the best fit for this movie is none-other than Vijay Sethupathi," said Muralitharan while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Live.
"I think he is a very talented actor and he will nail the bowling expressions. I trust Vijay completely as he is one of the greatest actors and I have complete faith that he'll definitely do wonders for the film,” he added.
Speaking about Muralitharan, Sethupathi said, "It's really nice to listen to his story and spend time with Murali sir. He is like a stamp, he makes a mark wherever he goes with his charming character and personality.”
"I love his real life, because fans have seen him in matches on the field, but very few have got a chance to know Murali sir's personality off the field. He's very adorable and lovable. He's such a beautiful person and his story needs to be told," he added.
(With inputs from IANS)