Vijay Sethupathi's exit from Muralitharan biopic: The controversy explained

 

Tamil fringe groups and some political parties demanded that actor Vijay Sethupathi excuse himself from the movie on Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan. They alleged that Muralitharan was a betrayer of the Tamil people and supported the then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the 2009 civil war

Vijay's decision to play the lead role became a matter of heated debate in the social media. The ruling AIADMK had said the actor should reconsider his decision to be a part of the movie. Parties, including the MDMK, PMK and veteran Tamil filmmaker Bharathirajaa were among those who had urged the actor to disassociate from the biopic.

While people such as Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram, actor-turned-politician and founder of All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi R Sarathkumar and his wife and actor Radhikaa Sarathkumar had voiced their support for Sethupathi, the Tamil movie world was largely silent. Even the South Indian Artists' Association, popularly known as Nadigar Sangam, the body representing the interests of actors, maintained a studied silence on the issue. Read More