Vijay Sethupati faces flak for film on Muttiah Muralitharan

Actor Vijay Sethupati has been facing wrath on social media for his upcoming film 800. The film's motion poster was launched yesterday.

800 is a biopic of Sri Lankan cricketing legend Muttiah Muralitharan, and it has Vijay Sethupathi portraying the lead role. Netizens are upset that the actor took up the role of the Tamil-origin cricketer who they say never spoke out against the alleged atrocities that the Sri Lankan government inflicted on the country's Tamil population in the past. The hashtag #ShameOnVijaySethupathi was used to convey their anger and disappointment.

"Always admired Vijay Sethupathi as an actor. But now he shattered the respect I had for him by making this traitor's life history who openly supported modern-day dictator Rajapaksa. Murali himself said 2009 was his happiest year of his life. #ShameOnVijaySethupati," wrote one user on Twitter.

"The Sinhala government has massacred two lakh Tamils in Eelam. There is no other proof than this that Vijay Sethupathi cannot feel this pain! #ShameOnVijaySethupathi #Tamils_Boycott_VijaySethupathi," wrote another user.

Directed by MS Sripathy, 800 will be made primarily in Tamil. It will also be dubbed in all the South Indian languages, as well as Hindi, Bengali and Sinhalese. There are plans for an international version with English subtitles as well. The shoot is slated to start at the beginning of 2021 and the film is scheduled for release by the end of next year.

Muttiah Muralitharan is well-known as the only cricketer to have taken 800 wickets in Test cricket, and the film's title reflects this feat. Murali’s cricketing career is also known for all the controversy surrounding his bowling action.