‘Thank you and goodbye’: Vijay Sethupathi pulls out of Murali biopic

Popular actor Vijay Sethupathi who was set to star as Sri Lanka’s legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in a biopic has withdrawn from the project after the cricketer warned he could face a backlash from India’s Tamil minority, AFP reported.

Tamil politicians in India accuse Muralitharan, who retired from Test cricket in 2010, of betraying fellow Tamils in his country during a civil war that ended in 2009.

Vijay Sethupathi, 42, had been under pressure in his southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu to drop the role in “800” — named after the world record number of Test wickets Muralitharan took in his celebrated career.

“I don’t want one of the finest actors in Tamil Nadu to face any kind of trouble, hence I request him to drop out of the project,” Muralitharan, 48, wrote in a letter tweeted by the actor.

“There should be no obstacles for Sethupathi in the future because of this movie.”

Sethupathi wrote alongside the image of the letter: “Thank you and goodbye.”

India’s small MDMK party, which opposes the Sinhalese-led government in Sri Lanka, demanded Sethupathi reject the role, saying Muralitharan sided with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who as president defeated the separatist Tamil Tigers.

AFP reported that Muralitharan, who is currently working as a bowling coach with Indian Premier League side Sunrisers Hyderabad for the ongoing tournament in the UAE, had said that his remarks about Sri Lanka’s ethnic war were “misunderstood.”.