I am pained by the fact that there are some who want to make me appear like an enemy of the Tamil community, says cricketer Muthiah Muralidharan
Cricketer Muthiah Muralidharan has finally broken his silence on the raging controversy surrounding the making of his biopic, titled 800.
Cricketer Muthiah Muralidharan has finally broken his silence on the raging controversy surrounding the making of his biopic, titled 800.
In a detailed statement in Tamil, Murali trashed several of the rumours doing the rounds on social media and explained in detail the reasons as to why he agreed to the making of the film 800, in which Vijay Sethupathi plays the lead.
Here is what he said in the statement that was sent in Tamil:
“I have faced several controversies in my life, be it in my private life or my sport. Now, with certain controversies erupting over the film 800, which happens to be my biopic, I wish to clarify a few points.
“When the production house first approached me saying they wanted to make a film on my life, I hesitated. Then, I agreed because of the realisation that the achievements that I, as Muthiah Muralidharan, achieved, weren’t just mine as I was made into what I was by the efforts of several people behind me like my parents, my teachers, my trainers, and my fellow sportsmen. I agreed to the film only because I thought it would give an opportunity to acknowledge their efforts and contributions.
“My family began its journey as labourers in a tea estate. The first and the prime casualty of the war that was fought for over 30 years were the Tamilians with an Indian lineage, living in the mountains.
“We have been severely affected starting right from the time in the seventies when there were attacks on Tamils on Sri Lankan soil. From then to the violence in the JVP struggle, to the seril bomb blasts, we have been among the most severely affected, right from the time that I can barely recall.
“My dad was stabbed when I was seven. Several of my relatives were killed. I have been on the streets, several time after having lost our livelihoods. Therefore, I too understand the loss and the pain caused by war. For over 30 years, war clouds covered Sri Lanka and it was in this midst, that my life’s journey continued.
“The film 800 tells the story of how I came out of this situation to enter the cricket team and achieve in this field. Now, it has been politicised, and as a result, there is opposition to it.
“The reason for the opposition to the film is because some of my past statements being manipulated. These statements have been recalled in a twisted fashion to present me in poor light.
“For instance, I made a statement in 2019 saying that my happiest day was in the year 2009. This has been twisted and is being written as “Muthiah Muralidharan calls the day Tamils were murdered as his happiest day.”
“Place yourselves in the shoes of a common man. In a war zone, nobody knows what will happen in the country. A friend who played with me in school wouldn’t be alive the next day. Only when people return home, do you actually know that they are well. It was under these circumstances that when the war ended, as a common man, I made the statement that the happiest day in my life is in 2009. I have never supported the killing of innocent civilians nor will I ever do in future.
“Next, I grew up studying in a Tamil medium school. So, the claim that I do not know Tamil is yet another wrong statement. There are some who have misreported that “Murali is someone who says Tamil students suffer from an inferiority complex.”
“When your community is a minority in the Sinhala majority region, it is only natural that those in the minority community feel inferior. I experienced that and my parents too exhibited the same feeling and thought. Despite such challenges, my interest in cricket spurred me on to make it to my school’s cricket team. I joined the team because of my efforts. I became indispensible to the team because of my talent and skills. It is therefore that I said, throw away your feeling of inferiority and place trust in your skills and talents and strive hard to rise.
“As far as I am concerned, I consider everybody, be it Sinhalese, Tamils residing in the mountains or the Eelam Tamils, the same.
“I am a Tamil residing in the mountains. The help that I have rendered to those from the Tamil Eelam is much more than the help that I have rendered to Tamils living on the mountains. I have never liked to talk about the help I have been offering to people. However, I have been forced into a position where I have to speak about it.
“In 2002, I was a Food Ambassador of the UN. From ensuring that the benefits of this programme also reached the children in schools located in parts controlled by the LTTE to the help that was accorded in the aftermath of the Tsunami, people from the region know of the help that I have accorded.
“After the war, for the last 10 years, the maximum help that I render through my social service organisation, Foundation of Goodness, is to the Eelam Tamils. Several branches of my social service organisation exist in places of Eelam Tamils and they have been offering help and assistance in the sectors like child education, women empowerment and health care. We hold a cricket tournament called the Murali Harmony cup in the North and the South parts to promote communal harmony. There are many more such good deeds.
“Just because I achieved a feat by being a part of the Sri Lankan team, there has been a wrong perception about me. Had I been born in India, I would have made my best to make it to the Indian team. Is is my mistake that I was born a Sri Lankan Tamil?
“I am pained by the fact that there are some, who, out of ignorance, and others, looking to gain political mileage, are looking to make me appear like an enemy of the Tamil community.
“No matter how much I explain, I will never been able to convince those intent on opposing me. However, at a time when only wrong information about me is being shared, I wished to clarify and state facts to the public and those unbiased. Hence this clarification!”
