Chennai, Oct 19 (UNI) Former Sri Lankan cricketer Muthiah
Muralidaran on Monday urged film actor Vijay Sethupathi to
pull out of his biopic '800' following objections by a section
of the film industry and political leaders.
Responding to Murali's appeal, Vijay Sethupathi tagged the
offie's statement with a tweet 'Nandri (thanks), Vanakkam
with folded hands'.
In a statement issued in view of the backlaskh being faced
by Vijay Sethupathi in Tamil Nadu, Muralidaran said he was
aware of the severe pressure being exerted on the actor
following his decision to act in the biopic on Murali, who is
the first bowler to claim 800 international wickets in his
cricketing career.
Stating that was not interested in a quality actor like
Vijay Sethupathi being affected, Murali said with a view
to ensure that there were no future objections in his
film journey, he appealed to him to opt of the biopic.
Noting that he had always recouped whenever he had faced
hurdles in his life and had reached to this level, the former
off spinner said he had agreed for a biopic on him with a
view encourage more cricketers and there was no other
reason.
He said the producers would certainly come out of this
hurdle and take the film forward and they have assured
him that an announcement would be made soon in this
regard.
After his biopic 800 stirred a hornet's next Murali had
on Friday said it was not fault that he was born as a Sri
Lankan Tamil and reiterated that he had never supported
the violence during the final phase of ethnic war and
that he would never do it.
In a statement, after a row broke out over his biopic
starring Vijay Sethupathi, who was advised to keep out
of it by some political leaders and popular director
Bharathiraja in line with the prevailing emotional Tamil
sentiments, Murali said “people who don’t know my life,
some in ignorance and some for political reasons, paint
me as a person against the Tamils'.
'Is it my mistake that I was born a Sri Lankan Tamil?
he asked.
Sharing his thoughts on the latest controversy over his biopic,
he said “I was hesitant at first when the producers approached
to make a movie on my life. But, later, I thought the movie will
be the right opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of my
parents, teachers, coaches and co-players in my success.”
Muralitharan claimed that when the civil war first broke out, it
was Malayaga Tamils, with Indian-lineage, who were the first
ones to be affected.
“I know by experiencing the horrors and the pains that are caused
by the war. We lived amid a war in Sri Lanka for more than 30 years.
And how I managed to join the cricket team and tasted success
despite these circumstances is what 800 is all about,” he added.
He claimed that his statements have been twisted to portray him
in a bad light. “For example, in 2019, I had said that the year 2009
was the happiest year in my entire life. But, when people write, they
claim that the year Tamilians were slaughtered was the happiest
year in my life,” he said.
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