Mittal plays legendary cricketer Muthiah Muralidaran in a bio-pic entitled 800 written and directed by MS Sripathy. The film will release in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu.
The original choice for the role was the iconic Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi. But he backed out after some of Muralidaran’s controversial speeches on the Tamil ethnic identity were uncovered.
Madhurr Mittal was chosen for his talent and his physical resemblance to the cricketer.
Speaking exclusively to us Madhurr says, “Firstly, there’s a lot of gratitude. I’ve been grinding it out for almost 25 years in the industry now so, it’s gratifying to finally have my first movie as a solo lead.”
Madhur realizes the enormity of the honour given to him to play Muralidaran. “The magnitude of responsibility one has while portraying a real-life legend like Mr. Muralidaran is not lost on me. Add to it the fact that 800 is much more than just a sports film. It’s also a character study. Now this makes it a really potent mix for an actor famished for challenges. So yes, I’m an eager beaver right now!”
Madhurr is agog as to audiences’ reaction. “Looking forward to the release so people can see me do something they’ve never seen or maybe even expected from me before. Exciting times ahead for me!”
