Leo Director REACTS To Backlash Over Vijay Using Cuss Word In Film's Trailer: 'It Was Needed'

The trailer of Thalapathy Vijay's much-awaited film, Leo, created quite a buzz on social media. Soon after it was officially shared by the makers, fans left no stone unturned to share their excitement ahead of the film's theatrical release.

However, a section of users slammed the makers as well as Vijay for some dialogues in the trailer. In one of the scenes, Vijay's character Parthiban is seen addressing his enemy with a cuss word. The said scene did not go down well his fans. They took to social media and said that it could set a bad example as Vijay has a huge fan following among kids and youngsters.

Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the film has reportedly been issued a U/A certificate, while the trailer has been censored with an A certificate.

The director has reacted to the backlash during one of his recent interviews and said that he will take all the blame. During a conversation with Cinema Vikatan YouTube, Lokesh said that using the cuss word was necessary for that particular scene.

He reportedly stated, "For that movie and that scene, that word and emotion was needed. We utter some words out of anger at times, this is that. And when we were about to shoot that scene, Thalapathy Vijay asked me 'Is this okay? or will it go wrong if I say this?' Then, I convinced him that it was the correct thing for that character to do, for that scene. And I'll take all the blame. It was not mouthed by actor Thalapathy Vijay. It is said by Parthiban, his character in Leo."

Leo marks the second collaboration between Lokesh Kanagaraj and Vijay after their 2021 film Master. The film also stars Trisha Krishnan, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Harold Das, Trisha, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mysskin, Maya S Krishnan, Mathew Thomas, Mansoor Ali Khan and Priya Anand.

The film is all set to hit the big screens on October 19, 2023.