The makers of the Tamil film 800, a biopic on Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, have issued a clarification, stating that the film is purely a sports biography, and that it is being politicised. Actor Vijay Sethupathi will play the role of Muttiah in the movie. Dar Motion Pictures, the producer of the movie, also assured that the movie will not hurt the sentiments of anyone and will not carry visuals demeaning to the Sri Lankan Tamil community.
The statement by the makers follows the #ShameonVijaySethupathi trend on Twitter by pro-Tamil Eelam members.
The statement from Dar Motion Pictures, said, “It came to our notice that our film 800, the biopic of Muttiah Muralitharan featuring Vijay Sethupathi in the lead, is being politicised in many ways. However, we want to clarify that 800 is purely a sports biography film about the legendary cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan.”
The film is a journey about a man who hails from the Tamil migrant community and goes on to become the highest wicket-taker of all time. The film does not make any political statement favouring any community and the movie intends to inspire the younger generation to achieve their dreams irrespective of the difficulties faced by them, the release said.
The production house also said, “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. On a positive note, the film will engage the Tamil film community in Sri Lanka, providing the artistes and technicians with a platform to showcase their talents on a global stage.”
The makers of 800 released the first look poster of the movie recently. Following this, on Wednesday, many Twitter users criticised actor Vijay Sethupathi for accepting the offer to act in the biopic of Muttiah, who reportedly supports the Sri Lankan government that was responsible for the genocide in Sri Lanka.
Muttiah Muralitharan is an Indian-origin cricket player and this has led a faction of people to support him. However, actor Vijay Sethupethi has not shared his views on the movie yet.