Vijay Sethupathi was under tremendous pressure, his family was threatened: Muttiah Muralitharan on Jawan star’s exit from his biopic

800: Cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan revealed the reason behind the south superstar's exit from his upcoming biopic and said that the actor's family was being threatened.

By Aanchal Sharma
Published: September 26, 2023 8:38 AM IST

Vijay Sethupathi, who is currently making headlines for starring in director Atlee’s blockbuster film Jawan, was reportedly the first choice to star in the biopic on ace Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan’s upcoming biopic, 800. While both the actor and the makers had initially agreed to do the film, the Jawan star later backed out of the film due to some reasons. Recently in an interview, Muttiah opened up about Vijay’s sudden exit from the film and revealed that the actor was under ‘tremendous pressure’. The cricketer also gave some shocking insights and said that Vijay’s family was being threatened after reports of him starring in the biopic went viral on social media. Also Read - Merry Christmas postponed: Katrina Kaif, Vijay Sethupathi film avoids Animal, Dunki, Salaar storm

Muttiah Muralitharan reveals reason behind Vijay Sethupathi’s exit from 800

While Vijay was the first choice to play the ace cricketer in the upcoming biopic 800, the role later went to actor Madhur Mittal, who has starred in films including in Slumdog Millionaire and Million Dollar Arm. Speaking about Vijay, Muralitharan revealed how Vijay was the makers’ first choice for the role. Also Read - Shahid Kapoor confirms Farzi 2 with Vijay Sethupathi, talks about playing Virat Kohli on screen

In an interview with Zoom TV, the cricketer revealed that during his time at the Indian Premier League (IPL), the makers of the film mentioned that Vijay was staying in the same hotel for a shoot and thus arranged for a meeting between the cricketer and the actor. Muralitharan added that as Vijay was his fan, he agreed for the meeting and heard the narration for the film. Also Read - Dunki vs Salaar forces Vijay Sethupathi, Katrina Kaif to change Merry Christmas release date, will now face new box office challenge

The cricketer added that after hearing the script, Vijay expressed his genuine interest in the biopic and said that he wouldn’t pass up such a unique opportunity. The makers signed the actor for the role, however, a massive outrage against the actor led to his exit from the film.

Muralitharan revealed that Vijay was under tremendous pressure and people were threatening his family. “This movie is a sports movie, and it’s not related to anything political or anything else, but it’s just a true story of a man,” Muralitharan said in his interview.

Starring Madhur Mittal as Muttiah Muralitharan, 800 is all set for a worldwide release on October 6 in multiple languages including Tamil, English and Sinhala.

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ByAanchal Sharma
Published: September 26, 2023 8:38 AM IST