Muthiah Muralidaran is a legend in cricket stadiums across the world with 16 world records, most of which are unlikely to be broken in the near future. The spin wizard was rated the greatest Test Match bowler by Wisden’s Cricketers Almanack in 2002. In 2017, he was the first Sri Lankan cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Murali, as he is popularly known, turns 51 on April 17. As a special birthday gift, the makers of his biopic will be unveiling a poster on the occasion. Written and directed by M. S. Sripathy, the Tamil film is aptly titled 800, after the record number of wickets Murali took in Test cricket. Madhurr Mittal, of the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire fame, will play the legend on screen. The film will also release in Hindi and Telugu languages.
Madhurr Mittal to play cricket legend Muthiah Mularidaran in upcoming biopic 800, see first look
The sports drama journeys with Murali amidst a Civil War to becoming one of the most successful bowlers ever, the highest wicket taker who averaged six wickets per Test match. Interestingly, Murali has his roots in Tamil Nadu. His grandparents were Indians taken to Sri Lanka by Britishers to work in tea plantations there.
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Speaking about his inspirational muse, Sripathy says, “800 is not just a story around Murali’s cricket career, but a story of human courage. The film is an inspiring story of a common man standing against all odds who became a legend through his grit and determination. 800 captures the many faces of the legend that is Muthiah Muralidaran, a cricket icon from a war-torn Sri Lanka, who became the greatest wicket-taker of all time. For those who know nothing of cricket, it is a thrilling and poignant underdog tale. For those who have followed Murali’s turbulent career, it will show you the man behind the myth.”
Admirably, despite all the controversies, Murali topped ICC’s player rankings for Test bowlers for a record 1,711 days across 214 Test matches. He overtook West Indian bowler Courtney Walsh in 2004, then Australian spinner Shane Warne in 2007, to become the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. Two years later, in 2009, at home in Colombo, he scalped Gautam Gambhir to streak ahead of Wasim Akram’s 502 wicket haul to set a new ODI record.
Madhurr Mittal, who was internationally acclaimed for his performance as Salim Malik in the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, is delighted to have landed this opportunity. “It’s an honour to bring the story of a legend like Muralidaran on screen. We all know him as a cricketer, but there’s a lot in the film about him as a person who has beaten the odds to come up triumphant in life which will inspire generations of youngsters down the decades.” he signs off.
The film produced by Movie Train Motion Pictures and Vivek Rangachari is slated to release this year. 800 is written and directed by M.S. Sripathy with Madhurr Mittal playing the spin wizard, will release in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu.
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