Tamil actor Vijaya Sethupathi on Monday officially announced his exit from ‘800’, a biopic on Sri Lankan cricket legend Muttiah Muralitharan.

The actor pulled out of the Tamil movie only after, Muttiah Muralitharan issued a message asking the actor to not hamper his career and future because of the movie. The former cricketer also confirmed that the filmmakers will come out with an announcement soon. 

“I am issuing this statement as there has been controversy around my biopic 800. Due to misconception, several people were pressing actor Vijay Sethupathi to drop out of 800 the film. I don’t want one of the finest actor’s in Tamil Nadu to face any kind of trouble, hence I request him to drop out of the project. There should be no obstacles for Vijay Sethupathi in the future because of this movie,” Muralitharan said tagging the actor in the post.

I have never given up when I have faced obstacles in my life. Similarly I will overcome this obstacle. I accepted my biopic because I thought it would be an inspiration for youngsters and young aspiring cricketers. I believe we will overcome this obstacle and take this film to the audience. The makers of the film have told me they will come out with an announcement on the film soon, I would be helping them in all the ways I can. I would like to thank the press, media channels, politicians, Kollywood actors, Vijay Sethupathi fans and Tamil people for supporting me during this time.

“I wholeheartedly thank the press, politicians, fans of Vijay Sethupathi, and most importantly, the people of Tamil Nadu who supported me in these circumstances,”he added.

Vijay Sethupathi responded by saying ‘thanks’ which is seen as a hint that he was dropping out of the film.

The biopic has been facing tremendous pressure by several political parties including the MDMK, PMK and veteran Tamil filmmaker Bharathirajaa, who asked the actor to reconsider his decision.

According to the political units, Muttiah Muralitharan supported the former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the 2009 civil war. The Malayga Tamils, who associate with Indian lineage were affected the most.

The actor faced tremendous pressure, including the #VijaysethupathiBan4Life trending on Twitter.

Dar Motion Pictures, the producers, have said that ‘800’ was only a sports biography movie and it does not make any political statement.