Sri Lankan spin magician Muttiah Muralitharan is a name that needs no introduction. He is a legend in cricket and has 16 world records in this sport which are unlikely to be broken anytime soon. In 2017, he was the first Sri Lankan cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He was rated as the greatest Test Match bowler by Wisden’s Cricketer’s Almanack in 2003. His achievements in Cricket are unparalleled and he is the only bowler in the world to get 800 wickets in Test Cricket and 534 wickets in One Day Internationals.
A biopic is being made on this legend and it is titled ‘800’. The film was written and directed by M.S. Sripathy and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ actor Madhur Mittal is playing Muralitharan’s role on the big screen. It will be coming out in multiple languages including Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. Muttaih Muralitharan is celebrating his 51st birthday on 17th April and as a gift to him, the makers unveiled the first look poster.
We can see Madhur Mittal’s remarkable transformation to play the character. With short hair and a French beard, Madhur looks perfectly like Murali here. The motion poster also came out and it has certainly created a lot of hype on this project. The sports drama journeys with Murali amidst a Civil War to becoming one of the most successful bowlers ever. Murali has his roots in Tamil Nadu. His grandparents were Indians taken to Sri Lanka by Britishers to work in tea plantations there which adds to the drama and we will be witnessing a riveting story of an Indian migrant who ended up being the greatest bowler Sri Lanka has ever produced.
Directed 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 Muttiah Muralidaran, a cricketing 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 mythology.”
Madhur Mittal, who will be seen as Muralitharan is delighted to bag this movie. He said, “It’s an honour to bring the story of a legend like Muralitharan 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.” Movie Train Motion Pictures and Vivek Rangachari are the producers of this film and they claimed that the movie will be hitting the screens in 2023.
