A quick look into the controversies faced by Vijay's 'Leo'

In the latest, some dancers who were part of a song in the movie alleged that, despite repeated requests, they received only partial payment from the filmmakers.

However, the controversy was put to rest with the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) President RK Selvamani issuing a statement where he claimed that the makers of Leo deposited the complete fee of all dancers in their respective bank accounts.

According to Selvamani, choreographer Dinesh Master informed the Federation that the makers of Leo were planning to shoot a song with 2,000 dancers.

“The Tamil Nadu Thiraippadam Tholaikkatchi Nadana Kalaignargal Mattrum Nadana Iyakkunargal Sangam (Tamil Nadu Film, Television Dancers & Dance Directors Union) — a part of the FEFSI — had a maximum strength of 1,000 dancers. As 400 dancers were already working on other films, the other 600 dancers from the Union were roped in for the song in Leo,” he explained.

Selvamani added that the remaining dancers who performed in the song were from outside the Union.

Payment made to dancers: Selvamani

Selvamani said the remuneration for the remaining 1,400 dancers was discussed with the Producers’ Council. The Council decided that a remuneration of ₹1,750 per day should be paid to every dancer not affiliated with the Union.

Accordingly, a sum of ₹10,500 was deposited in the accounts of each dancer not affiliated with any Union for working on the song for six days, he explained.

Likewise, a total sum of ₹94.6 lakh was deposited in the account of the Dancers’ Union towards the pay of the dancers affiliated with the Union. The money deposited in the Union’s account also included the service charge of the Union, Selvamani claimed.

The FEFSI President’s statement has thus put to rest this latest controversy, which is only one of many.

Cuss words in trailer & rampage by fans

Several other controversies have hit Leo, including one about actor Vijay using cuss words in the film’s trailer. Following this, the makers muted the cuss words in the trailer.

It has now been doused with director Lokesh Kanagaraj taking responsibility for making Vijay utter those words.

Even before this, another controversy broke out about a song in Leo. Some social activists took exception to the “Naa Ready” song which referred to alcohol drinking and smoking.

As if all this wasn’t enough, excited fans of Vijay added fuel to the fire by going on a rampage in Rohini Silver Screens where Leo’s trailer was screened.

Fans damaged many seats and left the theatre in tatters. Needless to say, their unruly behaviour came in for scathing criticism on social media.

Related: Audio launch of Vijay’s ‘Leo’ cancelled; not due to ‘political pressure’, say makers

Additional shows for 6 days

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government granted special permission to the producers of Leo to screen an additional show for six days.

The additional shows, as per the order issued, can be held on 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 October.

This means that on all these six days, there will be five shows instead of the normal four shows.

Controversies aren’t new for Vijay’s films

Interestingly, Leo isn’t Vijay’s first film to face these many problems. Almost every movie invariably faced problems of all sorts.

Be it Varisu (2023), Beast (2022), or Mersal (2017), the one thing common to all of them is controversies.

A huge controversy erupted when Varisu’s producer Dil Raju claimed that Vijay was a “bigger star” than Ajith. Beast was in the spotlight after it was banned in Kuwait and when fans damaged a theatre in Coimbatore.

Mersal faced several controversies — doctors boycotted the film by saying that it portrayed them in a bad light, the CBFC demanded a nod from the Animal Welfare Board of India to clear the movie for release, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded the removal of certain scenes that conveyed the wrong impression about GST and digital India.

Despite the numerous challenges that seem to crop up every time Vijay’s film is about to be released, the Tamil actor is growing in stature and strength.

In fact, he is among the most bankable stars in the film business today and commands a market share that is second to none.

As the release date of Leo nears, expectations are running high. On the one hand, many controversies are cropping up by the day. But Vijay seems to be undeterred by both.

Well, only time will tell if he will deliver a winner — yet again — with Leo!