‘Thalapathy’ Vijay’s action-thriller film “Leo” had a great start at the box office. It collected a whopping 100 crore rupees in India within just two days of its release. New reports say that ‘Leo’ made approximately 40 crore rupees (early estimates) in the Indian market on its third day which is an impressive 11.88% increase from Day 2 where it earned 35.25 crore rupees. With this boost, ‘Leo’ has now collected a total domestic net collection of 140.05 crore rupees. In just three days, the movie has crossed the 200-crore rupee mark in worldwide gross earnings.
On Friday, the movie’s performance in the Tamil market had a fall but it made a strong comeback on Saturday. The morning show had 65.73% occupancy and this increased to 79.51% during the evening screenings, showing a significant improvement compared to the previous day.
The movie’s performance has been impressive, surpassing the daily earnings of Nelson’s film starring Rajinikanth ‘Jailer,’ during its time in theatres. ‘Jailer,’ which was released on a Thursday, had earned 48.35 crore rupees, 25.75 crore rupees and 34.3 crore rupees, respectively, during its first three days.
The movie “Leo” is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by S. S. Lalit Kumar and Jagadish Palanisamy. It stars Vijay in the lead role along with Sanjay Dutt, Arjun, Trisha, Madonna Sebastian, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mysskin, Mansoor Ali Khan, George Maryan, Priya Anand and Mathew Thomas. This film is the third instalment in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe and draws inspiration from “A History of Violence” (2005), which was based on a graphic novel with the same name.
The film was officially revealed in January 2023 under the working title “Thalapathy 67” since it marks Vijay’s 67th lead role. Shortly after, the official title was released. Principal photography began in Chennai that same month with occasional shooting in Kashmir. Another schedule took place in the initial location and the filming was completed by mid-July. The movie features music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa and editing by Philomin Raj.
“Leo” had a global release on October 19, 2023, in both standard and IMAX formats. The film received mixed reviews from critics
What Is The Plot of ‘Leo’ ? Let’s Look At Brief Summary Of The Film
Pratiban leads a simple life in Shimla with his wife Satya and their two children where he is managing a cafe. Their peaceful life is disrupted when a group of contract killers arrive in town and cause chaos. One fateful night, these killers attack Pratiban’s cafe and in an attempt to protect his daughter and an employee, Pratiban ends up shooting all of them. The case goes to court where Pratiban is acquitted on the grounds of self-defence, as the men he shot were criminals.
Pratiban becomes a local hero in the town, with his story making headlines in various newspapers. However, not everyone is happy with his newfound fame and some individuals want him executed. Herold Das, one of the gangsters who survived the attack comes across Pratiban’s picture and recognises him as Leo Das, someone believed to have been dead for many years. Herold informs his older brother, Anthony Das, a notorious gangster who decides to travel to Shimla to confront Pratiban.
Anthony is convinced that Pratiban is, in fact, Leo and he employs various tactics to intimidate and harass him. However, Pratiban maintains that he is not Leo and suggests that he might merely resemble the presumed dead individual.
Controversies related to Vijay’s film ‘Leo’
Following the release of the song “Naa Ready,” Anbumani Ramadoss, the president of the Pattali Makkal Katchi and Member of Parliament urged Vijay to refrain from promoting smoking scenes in the film. An online complaint was filed against the movie by RTI Selvam, a Chennai-based individual, with the Chennai Police Commissioner. The complaint sought action against Vijay under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act claiming that the song glorified drug consumption.
On June 26, 2023, Selvam submitted his complaint in person, calling for a ban on the film. Consequently, the song was edited to reduce smoking scenes and modify some lyrics as per the suggestion of the Central Board of Film Certifications (CBFC).
After the trailer was released, Vijay’s use of swear words faced widespread criticism. The CBFC subsequently issued legal notices to theatres that screened the uncertified trailer. In response, 43 seconds of the film were edited with instances of violence and gore either blurred or replaced, while the overall runtime of the film remained largely unaffected. Additionally, background dancers from the song claimed that they had not received their full payment for their work, despite them requesting repeatedly.
