Madhur Mittal to play Muttiah Muralitharan in 800

Express News Service

Vijay Sethupathi was earlier announced to play Muttiah Muralitharan in the upcoming biopic, titled 800. However, in a recent development, actor Madhur Mittal is now confirmed to play the world-renowned spinner.

The actor is best known for playing Salim in Slumdog Millionaire. 800 is written and directed by MS Sripathy and will release in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu. The film’s title draws its inspiration from the record number of wickets Murali took in test cricket. 

Speaking to CE, director Sripathy says, “Cricket will serve as a background and the story will be more about the person himself. Throughout his life, he has been struggling to prove who he is. Even in the games, he had to prove that his actions are genuine. He was called out thrice in Australia for chucking, just because he had a different kind of action. In his personal life, being a minority Tamil in a Sinhala-majority country, where there was a civil war, he always had an identity crisis. His struggle with his identity is the theme of the film.”

For the film, the director is collaborating with Shehan Karunatilaka, a Booker Prize winner who is known for writing books on cricket. “I wanted someone from Sri Lanka to collaborate, in order to know about their culture and nation.”

Vijay Sethupathi stepped down from playing the lead following the rise in backlash after people called out Muralitharan for his controversial political statements at the time of the Sri Lankan civil war. “We had to find a person who would look convincing as Murali. Madhur resembled Murali very much and had the right body language.” Sripathy also revealed that the film shows Muralitharan at different ages, from the 20s to late 30s, including four looks.

Other parts of the cast include Mahima Nambiyar playing his wife, Narain, Nasser, Riythvika, and Yog Japyee.  According to the director, 800 will have its climax portions feature a match between Sri Lanka and India. Sripathy reveals, “Kapil Dev, Malinga, and Shane Warne’s characters will have interesting cameos in the film. 800 went on floors in April 2022 and was shot in various locations, including Sri Lanka, England, Australia, Cochin and Chennai. The film is currently in its post-production stages.

The technical crew consists of RD Rajasekar as the cinematographer and Ghibran composing the music. Praveen KL is handling the edits.“I did not want to make it a propaganda film. Murali wanted to see the story of his life captured. There are many moments captured that he might not remember himself. I got to know more people who knew him and portrayed his life in a more comprehensive way. We also wanted other people’s perspectives and how they saw Murali. It is a very inspirational film and is not against anyone,” the director signs off.

<br /> Vijay Sethupathi was earlier announced to play Muttiah Muralitharan in the upcoming biopic, titled 800. However, in a recent development, actor Madhur Mittal is now confirmed to play the world-renowned spinner.</p> <p>The actor is best known for playing Salim in Slumdog Millionaire. 800 is written and directed by MS Sripathy and will release in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu. The film’s title draws its inspiration from the record number of wickets Murali took in test cricket. </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Speaking to CE, director Sripathy says, “Cricket will serve as a background and the story will be more about the person himself. Throughout his life, he has been struggling to prove who he is. Even in the games, he had to prove that his actions are genuine. He was called out thrice in Australia for chucking, just because he had a different kind of action. In his personal life, being a minority Tamil in a Sinhala-majority country, where there was a civil war, he always had an identity crisis. His struggle with his identity is the theme of the film.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <p>For the film, the director is collaborating with Shehan Karunatilaka, a Booker Prize winner who is known for writing books on cricket. “I wanted someone from Sri Lanka to collaborate, in order to know about their culture and nation.”</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Vijay Sethupathi stepped down from playing the lead following the rise in backlash after people called out Muralitharan for his controversial political statements at the time of the Sri Lankan civil war. “We had to find a person who would look convincing as Murali. Madhur resembled Murali very much and had the right body language.” Sripathy also revealed that the film shows Muralitharan at different ages, from the 20s to late 30s, including four looks.</p> <p>Other parts of the cast include Mahima Nambiyar playing his wife, Narain, Nasser, Riythvika, and Yog Japyee.  According to the director, 800 will have its climax portions feature a match between Sri Lanka and India. Sripathy reveals, “Kapil Dev, Malinga, and Shane Warne’s characters will have interesting cameos in the film. 800 went on floors in April 2022 and was shot in various locations, including Sri Lanka, England, Australia, Cochin and Chennai. The film is currently in its post-production stages.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The technical crew consists of RD Rajasekar as the cinematographer and Ghibran composing the music. Praveen KL is handling the edits.“I did not want to make it a propaganda film. Murali wanted to see the story of his life captured. There are many moments captured that he might not remember himself. I got to know more people who knew him and portrayed his life in a more comprehensive way. We also wanted other people’s perspectives and how they saw Murali. It is a very inspirational film and is not against anyone,” the director signs off.<br />