On Tuesday, the trailer for Sri Lankan spin legend Muthiah Muralidaran’s ‘800’ was revealed. Muthiah Muralidaran, a Sri Lankan cricket icon, expressed excitement as the official trailer for his biographical film ‘800’ was released.
The teaser was unveiled in Mumbai by legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and former Sri Lankan all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya. The teaser suggests that the film will chronicle Muthiah’s childhood, how he became a cricket star, and the challenges he overcame.
The film’s investigation of Muthiah Muralidaran’s lesser-known life path is highlighted in the trailer. It begins with glimpses of Sri Lanka’s 1970s era, which was distinguished by the persecution of minority Tamils, illustrating the problems experienced by the community at the time.
Furthermore, the teaser shows a young man in a white cricket jersey kneeling in front of armed military soldiers, with a voiceover saying, ‘For someone who comes from a background of migrant labourers, earning recognition as a citizen is an uphill battle.’ The trailer closes with the individual happily identifying himself a ‘cricketer’.
Madhur Mittal, best known for his role in ‘Slum Dog Millionaire,’ plays Muttiah in the film. Vijay Sethupathi was the first actor to play Muttiah in ‘800’. The character poster was also made public and gained a lot of attention. However, due to controversies, the actor withdrew from this project.
Protesters questioned Muthiah Muralidaran’s status as a Sri Lankan of Tamil ancestry. Protesters also stated that Tamils should remember their conflict-ridden history in Sri Lanka. Muttiah afterwards requested that Vijay Sethupathi leave from the project.
The film, directed by MS Sripathi, will be released in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. The screenplay for the film was written by Sripathi himself. The key characters in the film include Naren, Nasser, Vela Ramamurthy, Rithvika, Hari Krishnan, and others.
Movie Train Motion Picture and Vivek Rangachari produced the film. Gibran composed the music, RD Rajashekhar ISC directed the film, and Praveen KL edited it. MS Sreepathi and Shehan Karunathilaka wrote the script, Videsh is the production designer, while Poorthi Praveen and Vipin PR are the costume designers. The film’s staff includes Line Producer Kandan Picchumani and VFX Supervisor Jitendra Vijayakumar.