'Leo', presented by Sithara Entertainments' S Naga Vamsi in Telugu, hit the cinemas today (October 19).
Plot:
Parthiban (Vijay) is a chocolatier hotly pursued by gangsters Antony Das (Sanjay Dutt) and Harold Das (Arjun), both of whom suspect that he is their estranged family member Leo Das. Leo is Antony's son who ran away from him 20 years ago. Antony, who is now a dreaded gangster, wants his son dead. Can Parthiban, who looks exactly like Leo, escape his wrath?
Performances:
Every other social media-savvy Telugu movie buff takes pleasure in trolling Thalapathy Vijay. This time, though, the Tamil superstar doesn't give much reason to complain. One good thing about director Lokesh Kanagaraj is that he knows how to extract the best from his actors. So, even Vijay acts commendably in 'Leo'.
Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Sarja, however, are hardly frightening. They kill like savages and behave like maniacs without managing to scare the viewer. Trisha Krishnan is good as the male lead's wife. Gautham Vasudev Menon, who plays Parthiban's trusted acquaintance, is average. Mysskin is seen as a hired gun, while Mansoor Ali Khan is seen as a prisoner ready to face the gallows. Mathew Thomas, who played Parthiban's teen son, is known for looking a bit like Vijay. So, the casting choice couldn't have been better.
Technical aspects:
Anirudh Ravichander's background music is comforting and occasionally pulsating. But it pales in comparison to what we have heard in 'Jailer' and 'Vikram'. The songs are flat. Director of Photography Manoj Paramahamsa shoots the Himachal Pradesh portions (shot in Kashmir) with creativity. Anbariv's stunts are decent but not mind-blowing.
Post-Mortem:
'Leo' was apparently made on a budget of Rs 300 Cr (including landing costs). But this is not your event film where the spectacle mesmerizes the audience. The VFX in the chase sequence in the second half is average. The Hyena sequence in the first act is, again, average at best.
The lack of a strong story becomes vivid in the second hour, where the scenes get dragged out. The conversations start to bore the audience, especially because the confusion sought to be created through ambiguity about the identity of the protagonist doesn't click. In a way, the film tries to deliberately overplay the ambiguity aspect like how Sukumar did with '1: Nenokkadine'.
But the pay-offs are absent. If you don't find the action scenes interesting, there is literally nothing to soak into in the second half. The climax is gimmicky with an unexciting 'Vikram' reference.
The dark comedy portions and the emotional scenes were written by two different individuals. The problem is that the dark comedy doesn't make its presence felt. And the emotions are contrived in some scenes.
Closing Remarks:
'Leo' has a weak storyline and a weaker screenplay. The BGM and Vijay's performance are its key highlights. The jaded second hour is its biggest dampener.
