IMAGE: Muttiah Muralitharan — the only bowler to take 800 Test wickets — bowling in his hey day. Photograph: Francois Nel/Getty Images
One doesn’t know if the ‘Ms’ in the two names have anything to do with it, but Madhurr Mittal — best known for his role in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire — will play legendary cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan.
The bio-pic 800 — a hatflip to the 800 Test wickets the Sri Lankan spinner bagged in his career — written and directed by MS Sripathy, will release in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu.
The original choice for the role was Vijay Sethupathi, but he backed out after a controversy erupted over a Tamil actor playing a Sri Lankan celebrity, never mind if Murali has Tamil antecedents.
IMAGE: Madhurr Mittal in Slumdog Millionaire.
Madhurr was chosen for his talent and his physical resemblance to the cricketer.
“There’s a lot of gratitude. I’ve been grinding it out for almost 25 years in the industry now, so, it’s gratifying to finally have my first movie as a solo lead,” Madhurr tells Subhash K Jha.
Madhurr realises the enormity of the honour given to him to play Murali.
“The magnitude of responsibility one has while portraying a real life legend like Mr Muralitharan is not lost on me. Add to it the fact that 800 is much more than just a sports film. It’s also a character study,” says Madhurr adding, “This makes it a really potent mix for an actor famished for challenges. So yes, I’m an eager beaver right now.”
“Looking forward to the release, so people can see me do something they’ve never seen or even expected from me before. Exciting times ahead for me,” he says.
Murali, for folks clueless about the IPL, is currently the spin bowling coach for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. The SRH franchise is owned by Kalanithi Maran, the media mogul who owns Sun TV and other entertainment companies.
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