Tamil cinema undoubtedly takes pride in its abundance of young, creative directors of whom Lokesh Kanagaraj is one of the most reputed. His latest film 'Leo' starring Thalapathy Vijay was a blockbuster.
However, the film also received its fair share of criticism, mostly revolving around the second half which appeared to drag on. Additionally, the use of violence in 'Leo' was also criticized.
Raja Murugan from Madurai's Othakadai had filed a petition in the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court claiming that Lokesh should be psychologically examined for inciting violence in all his films.
He claimed that the film sets a bad precedent amongst the audience by portraying characters involved in illegal activities, excessive use of drugs, arms and ammunition, overspeeding and committing crimes with the support of police.
In addition, the petitioner had also demanded that 'Leo' must be properly scrutinized by the Censor Board and that Lokesh should be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code for filming scenes that incite violence.
But on January 3, the day of the hearing before Justices Krishnakumar and Vijayakumar, Raja Murugan did not turn up. The case has now been adjourned to the following day.
More about the film
'Leo' made over Rs 600 crore worldwide but also drew criticism for glorifying violence as well as smoking.
The film marks the second collaboration between Thalapathy Vijay and director Lokesh Kanagaraj after the 2021 action thriller 'Master'.
'Leo' features an ensemble cast including Trisha Krishnan, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Mathew Thomas, among others.
This is the third installment in the coveted Lokesh Cinematic Universe, which already features the Karthi starrer Kaithi, as well as the Kamal Haasan starrer Vikram.
The universe also includes other prominent actors like Suriya, Fahadh Faasil, Vijay Sethupathi, Arjun Das and many more who appear in crucial roles.