Mumbai: Former Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan has said that actor Vijay Sethupathi was the unanimous choice for his biopic ‘800’. Muttiah Muralitharan said he trusts the Tamil star to do justice to the part. Last week, the Super Deluxe actor announced he was ‘honoured’ to play Muralitharan in the biopic.
The film’s title, 800, is a reference to the number of wickets the cricketer has taken in Test matches. It is the maximum in history by any bowler.
Muralitharan said once the script was locked, the team agreed on Sethupathi to play the role. “I think he is a very talented actor. He will nail the bowling expressions I had. I trust Vijay completely as he is one of the greatest actors. I have complete faith that he’ll definitely do wonders for the film,” the cricketer said.
Muralitharan was speaking on Star Sports’ pre-show ‘Cricket LIVE’.
Directed by MS Sripathy, 800 aims to be a moving portrayal of the life and times of Muralitharan and of ‘ethnicity and pride’.
Sethupathi said he loved spending time with Muralitharan to understand his life. The actor said he was touched by the spin legend’s ‘charming’ personality.
“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. However, 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,” Sethupathi said.
The film will be shot across Sri Lanka, UK, Australia and India. Shooting will begin early next year, with plans to release it by the end of 2021.
The film 800 will be made primarily in Tamil. However, it will be dubbed in all south Indian languages, as well as in Hindi, Bengali, and Sinhalese.
