Leo is not for ‘faint-hearted’, it is ‘intensely raw and violent’, reveals UK distributor

The post read, “#LEO is a 100% Lokesh Kanagaraj film — intensely raw and violent. Strictly for ages 15+. We’ve decided against a 12A version to stay true to the film’s intent.”

It further revealed that the Lokesh Kanagaraj film is not for the “faint-hearted” as there are scenes of extreme violence. “LEO is intense. With strong violence and detailed gory scenes that ended up being more graphic than even we anticipated, it’s not for the faint-hearted. Although we targeted a 15+ rating for LEO, the BBFC gave it an 18+, meaning only those aged 18 and up can see it in cinemas. This unfortunately excludes younger students between the ages of 15-17,” read the post.

“After discussions with the BBFC, we found a path to a ’15’ rated version of LEO with very minimal unnoticeable refining (softening ultra close-up shots of just a few violent and gory aftermaths). Working closely with the producers, we ensured these updates were done with precision, with zero effects to the film’s core, flow, standout moments, and Thalapathy’s much-loved mass appeal,” the distributor shared.

However, they also apologised to viewers who would not be able to watch the film with their children, who are also huge fans of Vijay.

“Given Thalapathy Vijay’s popularity with children from ages 4 to 14, we understand the demand for a child-friendly 12A version of LEO. However, creating such a version of the film (even if we’re releasing it later on) would mean completely removing all the major action scenes and key sequences — which are the highlights. This would make the film very different from its original version, and it’s not a direction we’re looking to explore. To all parents who looked forward to bringing their kids to this film, we sincerely apologize,” the post said.

Revealing what has been omitted from the film to make it suitable for the 15+ audience, Ahimsa Entertainment wrote, “*2min40s of graphic close-up shots of gory aftermaths will be trimmed. In cinemas, these changes will be unnoticeable and won’t affect the flow, core story, or mass moments. These shots make up less than 1% of the film’s violence. Any additional change in runtime is from titles.”

Leo also stars Trisha, Mysskin, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Arjun, and Sanjay Dutt in important roles. The film will be released in theatres on October 19.