Good news for Leo fans! Director Lokesh Kanagaraj has shared that he is ready to make a sequel to Vijay’s 2023 hit Thalapathy. In a recent conversation with 123 Telugu, Lokesh mentioned that if Vijay agrees, he would love to make Leo 2 and could even name it Parthiban. While he hasn’t confirmed anything, the idea is clearly something he’s interested in exploring if everything goes according to plan.
At the same time, there are talks that Vijay might quit acting soon as he is ready to pursue a political career. Reports suggest that he is officially preparing to enter politics, which could mean that he won’t be taking up roles in many more films. So whether Leo 2 gets made or not will depend on what Vijay decides in the near future.
Recently, Vijay was seen in the sci-fi action film The Greatest of All Time, directed by Venkat Prabhu. He played dual roles in the film, which was made on a massive budget of ₹400 crore. Despite high expectations, the film managed to do average business at the box office.
About Leo
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lokesh Kanagaraj |
| Written by | Lokesh Kanagaraj, Rathna Kumar, Deeraj Vaidy |
| Produced by | S. S. Lalit Kumar, Jagadish Palanisamy |
| Starring | Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun, Trisha |
| Cinematography | Manoj Paramahamsa |
| Edited by | Philomin Raj |
| Music by | Anirudh Ravichander |
| Production Company | Seven Screen Studio |
| Distributed by | See below |
| Release Date | 19 October 2023 |
| Running Time | 164 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Leo Box Office Collection
| Category | Collection |
|---|---|
| Worldwide Gross | ₹623 crore |
| Tamil Nadu Gross | ₹223 crore |
| Overseas Gross | ₹240 crore |
| Indian Net Collection | ₹341 crore |
| Record | Highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023 (Surpassed Jailer) |
| Lead Actor | Thalapathy Vijay |
Leo Cast
| Actor | Character Name |
|---|---|
| Vijay | Parthiban “Parthi” / Leo Das |
| Sanjay Dutt | Antony Das (Voice dubbed by Pudipeddi Ravi Shankar) |
| Arjun | Harold Das |
| Trisha | Sathya Parthiban (Voice dubbed by Chinmayi) |
| Gautham Vasudev Menon | Joshy Andrews |
| George Maryan | Napoleon |
| Mysskin | Shanmugam |
| Madonna Sebastian | Elisa Das (Voice dubbed by Smruthi K) |
| Mansoor Ali Khan | Hridayaraj D’Souza |
| Sandy | A robber in Shanmugam’s gang |
| Priya Anand | Priya Joshy |
| Mathew Thomas | Siddharth “Siddhu” Parthiban |
| Babu Antony | Shekhar, Antony’s henchman |
| Janany Kunaseelan | Shruthi |
| Iyal | Mathi “Chintu” Parthiban |
| Mukhtar Khan | Bhawar Jetha, a police officer |
| Ramakrishnan | Gabby, Leo’s friend |
| Denzil Smith | Magistrate |
| Dinesh Master | Dinesh |
| Madhusudhan Rao | Shanmugam’s brother-in-law |
| Vaiyapuri | Astrologer |
| Punya Elizabeth | Sathya’s friend |
| Thavasi | Harold’s henchman |
| Jawahar | Veterinary Doctor |
| Maneksha | Jailer |
| Sachin Mani | Shruthi’s husband |
| Shanthi | Shanmugam’s wife |
| Santhi Mayadevi | Parthiban’s advocate |
| Muthu Krishnan | Press Cameraman |
| Pooja Fiya | Press Reporter |
| Leela Samson | Public Prosecutor |
| Dinesh Lamba | Divisional Forest Officer |
| Anurag Kashyap | Daniel (Cameo appearance) |
| Maya S. Krishnan | Vikram’s aide (Cameo appearance) |
| Kamal Haasan |
Plot
Shanmugam and his gang rob a house for money and kill a collector and his entire family. In a quiet town in Himachal Pradesh, Parthi runs a small cafe and also works as an animal rescuer. He lives happily with his wife Satya and their two children, Siddharth “Sidhu” and Mathi. One day, his friend Joshi Andrews, a forest officer, calls him to catch a spotted hyena that has escaped. Parthi and Siddhu manage to calm it down before it can harm anyone. Parthi avoids the attention of people and later brings the hyena home after it calms down.
One evening, when Parthi and Mathi are at a cafe, Shanmugam’s gang enters. Parthi tries to take care of things by giving them the cafe’s money. But when one of them misbehaves with a female worker, Parthi gets angry and beats them all up. A member of the gang tries to harm Mathi, and Parthi shoots everyone without stopping. He then breaks down. The police arrest him, but he is released after proving self-defense. His photo is splashed in newspapers across the country. A gangster named Harold Das in Telangana sees him and informs Antony Das. Antony immediately goes to Theog. As the fear grows, Parthi seeks police protection. Tamil Nadu sends Napoleon, an officer known for his bravery in Delhi, to guard Parthi’s house.
Antony meets Parthi and tells him that Parthi is actually his son, Leo Das, who was believed to be dead. Parthi keeps denying it. Antony warns him to admit the truth or face the consequences. He also tells his friend that her husband is a murderer, which makes her suspect Parthi. At the same time, Joshi learns about Leo’s friend Hridayraj, who is in prison and close to execution. Joshi meets him and learns that in 1999, Antony was running a tobacco company. When he failed, Harold started smuggling drugs. Leo and his sister Alisa worked for him. Antony wanted to sacrifice Alisa for the business assets. Leo became enraged and burned the drugs. Harold killed Alisa, and Antony shot Leo, believing that he died in the fire that killed 43 people. Joshi and Satya find evidence that Parthi is not Leo. But Antony kidnaps Sidhu, planning to sacrifice him. Parthi and Napoleon chase them and kill Antony and his men but do not find Sidhu. Harold calls and tells Parthi to bring Antony’s body to get Sidhu back. Harold also says that he sent men to kill Satya and Methi, but Napoleon, Joshi and Hyena stop them. Parthi fights Harold’s men and confronts Harold. Harold tells Parthi that he knows he is not Leo and lets him go. But Parthi laughs, says he is Leo, kills Harold and blows up the entire Das & Co. factory. He says that no one should live knowing who he really is. Finally, Parthi’s family is safe, but he gets a call. The caller says that one factory is not enough and hints that he knows Parthi’s truth. Parthi listens and sighs.
Plus points:
The first half of the film feels very interesting. The pacing is deliberately slow. The hyena scene and the subsequent family parts pull us into Parthiban’s life. There is no rush in how things progress. The aim was to clearly show the characters and Parthiban’s world. The film reaches a strong point with the fight in the cafe.
Vijay’s softer side comes out well, so the action scenes in the first half make a strong impact. Vijay doesn’t just act like a big star – he shows that he can actually act. Leo brings out Vijay’s acting talent well. The fight scenes in the first half feel strong, and with Vijay’s performance, the film remains interesting.
The interval scenes work well and build up to the second half. The film has some great action and nice camera work. Trisha is okay in her role. The film moves fast again near the end. Yes, the film is connected to LCU, and fans of the series will enjoy some moments. There is a small surprise in the last half.
Minus Points:
The second part is always the most important as it decides how much a film connects with the people. But these days many films are facing problems after the interval. Sadly, Leo also has the same problem. The flashback part is not well written, which is quite surprising from Lokesh Kanagaraj, who has given strong films earlier. You don’t expect such weak writing from him.
After the break, the pace slows down again, and not much happens in the story. A few scenes keep things moving forward, but once the flashbacks start, the film loses its grip. Due to weak writing, actors like Sanjay Dutt and Arjun don’t leave any big impact. As said earlier, the writing team is clearly at fault here.
There is nothing special to give in the role of Priya Anand. An important role in the second part, which is played by a well-known actress, is also not well designed. The emotional scenes don’t impress much. The Telugu dubbing is okay, but the song “Na Ready” is not impressive. During the cafe fight, a Tamil song plays in the background. A Telugu song would have been more appropriate in this version. Also, some small things like paper cutting and photo frame text appear in Tamil. Even these small details make a difference.
Acting
Thalapathy Vijay, the actor! Why did you come this far in your career to show this side, and why don’t we see this more often? Vijay is amazing here, he perfectly understands both sides of the characters he plays. You can clearly see that Lokesh has made his role a mix of fire and peace, and Vijay plays both sides really well. As Parthiban, he seems soft and kind, very calm and full of emotions. The diner scene and the breakup with Trisha really stand out, where Vijay shows the pain of a man who turns to violence and still wants to live a normal life. As Leo, he is full of style and attitude, although that role is close to what he has done before. However, after the first few minutes, you stop seeing Vijay and start seeing only the characters. This seems to be his best work so far. Also, that title card is pretty good. Trisha looks beautiful, but more than that, he also acts really well. In his short role, he matches Vijay’s energy and does justice to the character. All the other actors do a good job too, but their roles are not so big that they stand out. Sanjay Dutt fits his characters well, Arjun gives a scary feel, and GVM remains calm and in control. Mysskin leaves an impression with his dark jokes, and Sandy Master continues the scary tone. Madonna Sebastian doesn’t get much to do, which feels pointless. LCU’s surprise cameo also works well and adds a fun moment
Production, Filming, and Songs
The makers of Leo shot the film in many locations to match the different scenes of the story. They took great care during the shooting, and it appears in colorful and vivid scenes that match the film well. With strong and emotional melodies, Leo’s music received a lot of love from fans, and many of the songs became hits after their release.
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