Madhur Mittal put in his soul for Muthiah Muralidaran look

‘800’, to be released in theatres on October 6, has witnessed terrific promoters in the form of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Ganguly and others. Above all, its legendary subject, Muthiah Muralidaran, himself is the biggest promoter of the film.

The audience are eager to know how well Madhur Mittal of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ fame has donned the protagonist of Sri Lankan cricket’s spectacular spell on the field in the 1990s and early 2000s. Going by the trailer and other promotional material, Mittal was put through a grind.

“My director, who worked on the script for two years doing intensive and extensive research, wanted my hairstyle, skin tone and other physical aspects to resemble Muralidaran’s. This was besides the resemblance I had to pull off in how I should bowl. The role demanded that I sweat it out on the field and in the make-up room,” suggests Mittal in a video clip.

Senior Telugu producer Sivalenka Krishna Prasad of Sridevi Movies is planning to release the movie on 1100 screens across India.

The film, directed by MS Sripathy, has music by Ghibran. Its release has been powered up by seasoned distributors across India.