"Not For The Faint-Hearted"; Distributors Denies Censoring Of Leo, Says A 100% Lokesh Film (Image:Twitter/ahimsafilms)
Strong bloody violence, gore, threat, and sexual assault…
Tamil superstar Thalapathy Vijay’s most anticipated LCU banded Leo got a 15+ credit in UK, after the British Board of Film Certification (BBFC) designated the movie to a bloody-violent-sexually assaultive catalogue. The movie is set to chase the big screen from October 19 and in Britain, where it has witnessed a record-breaking pre-booking collection, only people above 15 years are permitted to watch it in the theatres.
BBFC evaluated the Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial, a “South Asian action thriller”, as sustained with “bloody fight scenes punctuated by gory moments”. The intense-watch faces another backlash but the distributors in UK adamantly backed the “raw and violent” movie as a completely Lokesh film and demanded the screening without an outsource censoring. “LEO is a 100% Lokesh Kanagaraj film… We have decided against a 12A version to stay true to the film’s intent”, said Ahimsa Entertainment on X (formerly Twitter) sharing a 15 plus censored special flyer of Leo. Ahimsa is an Indian film production and distribution company based in London to which a subsidiary is located in Chennai.
As the distribution company details, Leo is a hard-hit, extremely powered with violence and detailed gory scenes which ended up being more graphic than anticipated. The BBFC thus initially provided a certification demanding a strict premiere for people of above 18 years of age. After strong discussions the distributors traced a path to a 15 rated version with “very minimal unnoticeable refining”. They have softened some ultra close-up shots in a few violence driven scenes with utmost precision causing a “zero effect” to the film’s actual core and substance.
Vijay is a popular figure also for children from ages 4-14 and the makers strongly wish them also could join with the audience. But realizing that a child-friendly 12A version of the movie will completely dismantle the essence of Leo, removing all its major action scenes and extremely important scenes, they have withdrawn from the discussions. “This would make the film very different from its original version, and it”s not a direction we”re looking to explore”. They have also sent an apology to all the parents who looked forward to bringing their children to the shows.
#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. pic.twitter.com/ewdflT2daX
— Ahimsa Entertainment (@ahimsafilms) October 12, 2023
