TN Govt Allows Special Show For Vijay's 'Leo'

Amid rumours of rift between Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and the makers of Vijay's Tamil film 'Leo', the DMK government has granted permission to special shows for the flick.

The Lokesh Kangaraj-directorial flick is scheduled to be released on October 19. The special shows should be organised without posing any health risks or causing overcrowding in the theaters, the authorities said in an order.

The order also states that proper security arrangements should be in place so that the audience can enter and leave without difficulty, by providing sufficient time to clean and maintain the theatre in a hygienic manner.

After careful consideration, the state government has granted permission for special shows from 19 October to 24 October. It means single screens across the state can screen five shows per day.

#LEO special GO issued . 5 shows can be played from 19th to 24th for 6 days pic.twitter.com/KTKaqx5mVv

— Pathy Senthil (@dhalapathy) October 11, 2023

However, once the audio launch function, which was considered a key event to promote films, was cancelled, Udhayanidhi Stalin and the DMK came under attack from Vijay fans on social media sites.

Nonetheless, the production house denied the claims. In a statement, it said, "Considering overflowing passes requests & safety constraints, we have decided not to conduct theLeo Audio Launch. In respect of the fans' wishes, we will keep you engaged with frequent updates. P.S. As many would imagine, this is not due to political pressure or any other reasons."

Vijay's manager Jagadish, who has co-produced the film, said, "It is a very hard decision and We feel the same level of disappointment as each one of the fan will go through. Despite working out various options and tremendous effort, we had to take this tough call, considering the extreme overflow in tickets demand and prioritising the safety of the guests."

'Leo' marks the second union of director Lokesh Kanagaraj with Vijay after hit movie 'Master'. The latest flick has Trisha playing the female lead. Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has made his debut in Kollywood.

The movie also has Arjun Sarja, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mansoor Ali Khan, Priya Anand and many others in the cast.