Sri Lankan Tamil MPs ask Vijay to not release Leo in the country

After Kamal Haasan’s Virumandi and Viswaroopam, Vijay’s Leo is one Tamil film plagued by issues ahead of its release. While Kamal’s Virumandi (first named Sandiyar) faced a problem with the title and Viswaroopam for hurting the sentiments of the Muslim community, Leo is facing many problems at once. It started with political outfits calling out Vijay for glorifying smoking, later Lokesh was criticised for romanticising violence, and finally, release problems crept up. Even as many theatres are yet to strike a deal with distributors, Leo is facing another problem from Sri Lanka.

A few Tamil MPs from Sri Lanka have written a letter to Vijay asking him not to release the film on October 19 as they are holding a protest on October 2o. In the letter, the MPs have claimed that the film will sabotage the protest, which is for the rights of Tamil people in the country.

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The letter requested Vijay to not release Leo as he is a celebrated star in the country. It also noted that releasing the film would be disrespectful to the Tamil people and the protest.

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Letter from Tamil MPs in Sri Lanka to Vijay. (PR Image)

Earlier, a City Civil Court in Hyderabad passed an order stalling the release of Leo in Telugu due to a copyright issue. A person belonging to the production house Sithara Entertainments claimed the rights for the title Leo and filed a case in the City Civil Court. However, producer Naga Vamsi of Sithara Entertainment spoke to the media and said that the film will be released as per plan and that the problem has been resolved.

Also read | Telugu release of Vijay’s Leo stalled after producer claims title rights

Despite attempts, permission for early morning shows for Leo in Tamil Nadu has been denied by the Madras High Court. The film will now be released only at 9 am across the state.