It is nothing new for a biopic to be made in the Indian film industry. It is also not surprising for such films to be mired in controversy and politics. Biopics have been tricky affairs for producers and directors because of the risks of manipulation of the real story and public emotions linked with it, which can be targeted to create problems around the making and release of the film.
Yet producers and financers are willing to take the risk of making such films because controversies have been a convenient way to gain publicity for a film and they also increase the hype and public anticipation around it. Biopics have been accepted and widely viewed by the Indian audience, making them one of the most successful genres of Indian cinema.
While controversy around a biopic is expected, the opposition that the Tamil biopic of Muttiah Muralitharan is facing in the state of Tamil Nadu is the biggest talking point of the Indian film industry. Titled 800, as an ode to the number of wickets the legendary Sri Lankan bowler amassed during his career, the Tamil biopic has faced roadblocks since the start with opposition and protests coming in from many spheres, whether it be from political parties or the south film fraternity.
As opposition voices increased, the controversies were no more political but emotional in nature. The Indian Tamil community did not want a film to be made on Muralitharan, seen as a sympathiser of the Sri Lankan Government during the Sri Lankan Civil War, which saw the mass killing of Sri Lankan Tamils.
The Sri Lankan Government led by the Rajapaksa family was held responsible for the genocide of nearly 40,000 Sri Lankan Tamils to end the war between the minority Tamil separatist community and the majority Sinhalese community. Muralitharan drew much flak within Sri Lanka and from the Indian Tamil community for calling the day the war ended as the happiest day of his life. He also went on to support Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s election campaign in the following years.
The Indian Tamils have been apprehensive of Muralitharan playing in India since then and continue to be hostile towards his biopic after his retirement from international cricket.
The film, which was earlier starring South star Vijay Sethupathi as Muralitharan is now without a lead as Sethuapathi has walked out of the project after receiving intense criticism from the industry as well as politicians and audience.
Earlier, Sethuapathi was advised by filmmaker Bharathi Raja not to associate himself with a film on ‘traitor’ Muralitharan. The letter from the filmmaker was the crux of the prevailing sentiments of Indian Tamils who have not forgiven the former cricketer for his stand during the civil war. The war affected a numerous Malayaga Tamils of Indian origin, and Indian Tamils still empathise with their pain and loss.
Muralitharan himself had requested Sethuapathi to walk out of the controversial film as he did not want one of the finest actors of the South Indian industry to in trouble for playing him on screen. Heeding the legendary spinner’s request, Sethupathi quit the film recently.
Opposing 800 because of political agenda and administrative mistakes of the past decade is equal to robbing Muralitharan of his identity as one of the greatest world cricket’s greats and shows a growing intolerance among the Indian audience in its inability to appreciate art for the sake of art.
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