Vijay Sethupathi Leaves cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan’s Biopic

Vijay Sethupathi has walked away from the biopic about the cricketer, Muttiah Muralitharan after facing backlash for his decision.

Tamil Star Vijay Sethupathi’s withdraws from Muttiah Muralitharan Biopic f

Film personalities also stood against Vijay’s decision

Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi has landed himself in controversy after signing for the biopic film about Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan titled, 800.

As a result of this, not only the actor but his family, particularly his daughter has received rape threats by a social media user.

The user further added that this must be done “in order for her father to understand the difficult lives led by Tamils in Sri Lanka.”

Condemning the rape threat, Tamil Nadu politician, Dr S. Senthilkumar took to Twitter to voice his anger over the threat. He wrote:

“Kindly track this person and put him behind bar to the notice of @CMOTamilNadu @chennaipolice.”

800 was announced earlier this year and made headlines when the first teaser of the biopic film was released.

However, Vijay Sethupathi’s decision to play Muttiah Muralitharan was met with hostility by Tamil nationalists.

It is believed Muttiah Muralitharan supported the Sri Lankan civil war which caused the death of many Eelam Tamils.

This made him a much-hated figure in Tamil Nadu.

As well as fans, Tamil politicians and film personalities also stood against Vijay’s decision to star in the biopic.

These include stars like Bharathiraja, Thamarai, Cheran and Ameer as well as state minister Kadambur C Raju.

The state minister urged Vijay Sethupathi to withdraw from the biopic “considering the sentiments of Tamil people.”

However, previously cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan has tried to explain his stance on the matter.

The cricketer argued that he never mistreated nor disrespected Eelam Tamils. He also cited his own Tamil origin.

Despite his attempt to clear his name, many people pointed out that several news reports and footage suggest otherwise.

Many have accused cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan of supporting the island nation’s President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

They also challenged the cricketer for the remarks he made towards the end of the Sri Lankan civil war.

On Monday, 19 October 2020, Muttiah Muralitharan issued a statement asking the Tamil star to back out of the film. He wrote:

“Imposing pressure on actor Vijay Sethupathi to withdraw himself from the movie due to the wrong notions surrounding me.”

This statement was shared by Vijay Sethupathi on his Twitter account.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGhU3FLJiSf/

It appears the cricketer’s request, the backlash and the threats faced by his family have caused Vijay Sethupathi to step down from the film.

Ayesha is an English graduate with an aesthetic eye. Her fascination lies in sports, fashion and beauty. Also, she does not shy away from controversial subjects. Her motto is: “no two days are the same, that is what makes life worth living.”



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