Excerpt: Leo, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, released on October 19th has sparked conversations and debates among cinephiles, with some appreciating Lokesh Kanagaraj’s innovative approach and others questioning the use of ambiguity and theories to compensate for potential storytelling flaws. This division of opinions highlights the intrigue and discussions surrounding the film.
Director Lokesh Kanagaraj is facing criticism on social media due to a flashback scene in his recent film, Leo. Lokesh Kanagaraj is facing online criticism for seemingly suggesting that the flashback scenes in his film Leo might not be genuine. In the movie, the character Hridayaraj D’Souza (portrayed by Mansoor Ali Khan) narrates Leo’s backstory to Joshi (played by Gautham Menon). Fan theories have arisen, suggesting that the narrative in “Leo” might be completely fake, and was told to hide the real identity of Leo.. This speculation has sparked discussions and online debates among fans and viewers of the film.
This online backlash has led to hashtags like #Leoscam and #LokeshKanagaraj trending on Twitter. Critics and viewers have expressed their disappointment, noting that the first half of the film was promising, but the second part felt dragged down. The flashback scenes and the second half faced criticism from both critics and the audience.
In an interview, Leo’s cinematographer, Manoj Paramahamsa, suggested that the flashback scenes narrated by Mansoor Ali Khan could be misleading.
Lokesh Kanagaraj was also asked about this in another interview. He clarified that Parthiban (Vijay’s character) didn’t narrate the Leo story from his perspective; it was Hridayaraj’s point of view. He mentioned that there was a deleted dialogue where Hridayaraj planned to narrate the story from his perspective, but the editor decided to remove it to maintain suspense.
Kanagaraj admitted that he trimmed the flashback scene, which could have been much longer, due to time constraints. He explained that the lengthy flashback could have confused the audience and made it seem like a different movie. His clarification further fueled online trolling.
While some viewers appreciate Kanagaraj’s creative approach, others question the use of such fake theories to compensate for potential storytelling flaws. Fans argue that this excessive confusion might weaken the authenticity of Lokesh films and make audiences doubt what’s presented on screen.
Leo, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, was released on October 19 and features Thalapathy Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Trisha, Arjun, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mysskin, Mansoor Ali Khan, and Priya Anand. It is produced by SS Lalit Kumar and Jagadish Palanisamy, with music by Anirudh Ravichander.
