A distinctive bowling action, characterised by a whirling arm movement that evoked controversy and admiration in equal measure is the most defining feature of Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan.
The most successful bowler in Test Cricketing history, with 800 wickets to his name, Muralitharan is beloved across the world, and especially in South India. Growing up in Kandy, Sri Lanka to a Tamil-immigrant family, at a time when the island-nation was fast heading towards civil war between the majority Sinhalese government and the Tamil minority guerillas, Muralitharan’s life is nothing short of dramatic.
An upcoming film, titled 800, to denote the number of wickets he has taken in his international test cricket career, chronicles Muralitharan’s story. “My life is like a movie itself (laughs), but I was initially hesitant to do this. We have a foundation to help the needy and the poor in Sri Lanka and a few of my friends and family were convinced that the film could be beneficial to the foundation,” says Muralitharan, who was in Bengaluru on Sunday to promote the film alongside former Indian captain and coach Anil Kumble, and 800’s lead actor Madhur Mittal.
Written by Tamil filmmaker MS Sripathy and Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka, 800 explores the 51-year-old cricketer’s impressive-yet-often controversial career, along with his childhood and personal life. Muralitharan, who dislikes ‘masala films’, emphasises that the film is factual. “Sripathy stayed with
us for nearly two years, he visited all the places that I had lived through in my life, talking to local and international cricketers, my friends from school and more,” says Muralitharan, adding that the film will clear many ‘illusions’ that people have about his career. “Nowadays it is easy to analyse a player’s bowling action through advanced technology. Anyone can do it with just their smartphones. But when I first started, it was a bit awkward. It was very hard to determine my bowling action with the naked eye and people were under illusions about my ability,” he adds.
Set to be released worldwide on Oct 8, work on 800 originally began in 2018, but the production was beset with various problems leading to lengthy delays. “The whole production was a rollercoaster ride. Changing directors, changing producers and of course actor Vijay Sethupathi had to pull out. And then Covid happened. When that was done and just when we thought all the problems were behind us, the financial crisis came about and Columbo was literally burning. So I can’t thank the crew and director enough for weathering all the difficulties and obstacles to make this film,” Muralitharan adds.
Despite his lethal spells on field, Muralitharan was also known for his ever-present smile which earned him the friendship of many a competitor. Kumble, a contemporary of Muralitharan, says, “Our careers literally ran parallel, but I never saw him as a competitor. When Murali was on the field, he always had a smile on his face. So, it was just impossible to get into that aggressive game mode.”
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That combination of ruthless performance and a friendly persona came in handy for Muralitharan in 2012, when he was persuaded by Kumble, then an advisor to Royal Challengers Bangalore, to join the team. Speaking of his time with the team, he says, “The fan support for RCB is incredible. Whenever I played at Chinnaswamy Stadium, looking at the mass of red in the stands was just something else. When I played for the team, I enjoyed it immensely.”