By P. Sarojini’
Chennai (CWBN)_ The popular Indian actor Vijay Sethupathi has withdrawn from cricketer Muralidaran’s biopic 800 on request of the cricketer himself, who warned him of the backlash, which he could face from the Indian Tamils.
The legendry Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralidaran’s biopic has been facing criticism since the start of the project. The Indian actor Vijay Sethupathi, 42, was set to play the role of the cricketer. But the oppositions from the Tamil politicians, who accuse Muralidaran of betraying fellow Tamils in his country during a civil war that ended in 2009, gave pressure to the actor to quit from the project 800.
The cricketer stated that he was concerned more about Vijay Sethupathi’s future career in the film industry. Muralitharan, 48, wrote in a letter in twitter “I 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,” He added “There should be no obstacles for Sethupathi in the future because of this movie”.
Vijay Sethupathi wrote alongside of the letter, “Thank you and goodbye.”
Initially, the uproar came from India’s regional Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) party. MDMK opposed the Sinhalese-led government in Sri Lanka and demanded the actor to quit form the project saying that Muralidaran sided with the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government who defeated the separatist Tamil Tiger uprising. The actor also faced uproar from the fans in social media with the hashtag ‘#shameonVijaySethupathi’.
In response to the criticism he faced, Murali said: “I had said that in 2009 — to be the happiest day in my life, having in mind the end of the war and loss of lives on both sides. This (his remark) is being twisted as,’ The day Tamils were killed and heaped was the happiest day in my life’. I had never supported the killing of innocents and I would never do (ever)”. Murali said his remarks about Sri Lanka’s ethnic war were “misunderstood”.
Apart from the oppositions, Vijay and Murali received support from many popular actors of the industry.
Actor Prakash Belawadi said “[Muralitharan] is a very important topic and that film is a complex idea because Murali is one of those Indian Tamils … who were marginalised.” The actor referred to the existence of a split of sorts in the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. He said that the ‘estate Tamils’ of Sri Lanka, who were taken there as plantation workers by the British colonizers 200 years ago, face more discrimination even from the native Tamils. He added “Murali is a great example of somebody who has emerged from this class”.
Murali said in a statement that “I never felt discouraged whenever I faced a problem in my life. I overcome them and that’s why I am in this position. I agreed to make a biopic on me thinking that it would help aspiring cricketers. I am sure that I will cross this hurdle. Also, I am confident that this biopic will reach you. Soon, the production house will announce updates regarding 800. I will stand by them”.
Further, he added “I thank the press, media, politicians, film personalities, Vijay Sethupathi’s fans and people of Tamil Nadu for supporting me during these difficult times”.
A source close to Muralidaran said “The movie project will go on without Vijay. Producers are already discussing ways to proceed”. Murali added in his letter that the team will soon come up with an update on the new lead. He wrote “I accepted this biopic because I thought the movie will inspire and provide confidence to aspiring young cricketers”.
