Hello there! It’s been about 12-13 years since I religiously started watching movies. In all that time, rarely comes along a film, that makes me go crazy! And I go crazy before watching the film, before a teaser, or any promotional material. Just the announcement has this unreal effect that gets me excited. The reason is the expectation set by the filmmaker in their previous venture. I can count such films in just one hand. The latest addition to the list is Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Leo.
It’s been over a week now. And I’m still hyped. I’ll tone it down for future posts but this one’s gonna be slightly verbose. Let me break it down.
What’s your Spirit Animal?
“Please don’t miss the first 10 minutes” This was Lokesh’s only request to the audience. And boy has he cooked! The CG work that’s gone into that Hyena is the first of its kind in India! Lifelike, graceful, and the promised character arc for the beast itself!
At this point, it has become a signature of Lokesh to draw parallels between animal spirits and the characters in his tale. While all the promos pointed to Vijay’s character as akin to a Lion (more on that later), the Hyena is both a smokescreen as well as a synonym for who the lead, Parthiban, is. More than just a spectacle, the Hyena plays its part right through to the ultimate payoff in the climax.
Old habits Die hard
This segment right here is probably Lokesh’s strongest suit when it comes to writing. Retro song on the record player – check. Hero shares a light moment with his daughter – check. A psycho walks into the cafe and asks for chocolate coffee – check. The pieces are all on board, and hell is about to break loose.
A common man fighting with makeshift weapons – plates, glasses, coffee, and cups. Skillfully maneuvers himself through the situation. However, when a knife is pointed toward his daughter, Parthiban becomes a man possessed and shoots 5 men point-blank in a scene that makes the audience go wild with whistles and applause.
Usually, after such a scene, our heroes have to look at the camera and give a Power Rangers-esque pose basking in the applause. That’s not the case here. Parthiban drops the gun and breaks down in the middle of his shop. (The performer in Vijay shines here).
This scene here is such a powerful one in the film. It can perceived in two ways — an innocent man is broken down and cries out loud when he realises that he has killed someone and is now a murderer himself. The second way, you think about once you’re through with the film — a man who believes at his core that he has slain the worst version of himself and lived life anew for 20 years, breaks down, feeling defeated, that his worst is still inside of him. And it breaks him. (If you’ve ever tried to kick a habit, you might relate to this bit.)
This realization is what brings out his wails of anguish. He has failed to exorcise his demons.
In the next two scenes, the other action set piece as well as the one at the police station further establishes the Hyena parallels as well as progresses the story and continues to showcase Vijay, the performer. Lokesh has done it again, he’s got us all hooked, we’re almost at the intermission now.
Bloody Sweet
Here we are, a little longer than an hour into the film. We’re finally introduced to the big bad, and the villains reintroduced, to Leo? Perhaps. *cue Badass, break glass, reveal Leo*. Is that Parthiban? This right here is the glory shot in the film. I had goosebumps!
Intermissions, and Indian films. You all know it’s a big deal. The tagline for this film was Bloody Sweet. Here I am, waiting for this word to be thrown at a big bad in a mass moment that sets up the rest of the film. Lokesh pulls a rabbit outta the hat yet again, has Parthiban utter these words to his daughter after eating chocolate, and cues the Title Card – Leo!
Now, what’s the word I’m looking for? Audacity! The sheer audacity to roll the title card for intermission!
The Second Half
Now, right off the bat, I’ll admit. This did not hit as much as the first one. I was concerned if I’d be able to sit through it a second time as I had tickets already. But, I enjoyed it better the second time once I knew exactly what to expect. The writing did feel flat at times during this period, particularly the flashback sequences and character depth for Das and Co. and a chase sequence which was sub-par CGI.
It might have been better off if we did not have this sequence at all and had left it as an open-ended intrigue as in “A History of Violence”. But I’ll give the reason of doubt to the makers as I do not want to speak about the commercial elements here. Once we cross this and head over to the final 40 minutes of the film, it packs a punch and finds its footing again. And remember, final-40 was Lokesh’s minimum guarantee for this film.
Bird’s Eye // My Precious
Despite the shift, two particular shots caught my eye during this phase. The first of which was a single-shot fight scene that panned the entire Tobacco factory with a drone. I noticed that an eagle was flying over the factory during this scene and felt it was a nice touch to give a bird’s eye view of the scene. It may not be how it was intended, but I liked it anyway.
The end of this portion saw two things. Leo burned the Datura (drug) crops held dear by Harold Das. And Harold kills Elisa in revenge. Both men stare down at each other and seemingly get ready to have a go at each other, but instead cross each other crying out in agony. Leo attends to his dying sister. Harold tries to rescue his drugs. Despite seeing red, both men ran to the aid of that which they treasured the most. I felt this one shot gave more of a glimpse into their characters than the whole of the flashback sequence.
“I thought he was dead”
That’s it. That was all Tom Stall told his wife when he was confronted by her about being Joey Cusack in A History of Violence. There was no other admission on his part to his past. Circle back to the cafe fight here.
In Leo, however, when confronted by his wife, Parthiban taps out and is completely shattered that his wife has doubted his identity. Yet another single shot this. Lokesh’s writing. Vijay’s performance in this scene. The man, with breaks in his voice, sings “Dance Monkey” to put his daughter back to sleep (she is startled and wakes up at her parents fighting). And then the payoff, when Sathya submits to Parthi and how? This right here was the money shot. This right here, was the first time I started to doubt if Lokesh had flipped the script and that Parthiban was indeed not Leo.
At first glance, it moves you to empathize with a man who is pushed to the brink, completely ostracised.
In retrospect, this scene serves to showcase exactly how notorious, Leo Das is.
Villain Yaruda?
Lokesh’s previous film Vikram had this premise of search for the protagonist. When it came down to the wire, to me, this film was a search for the antagonist. It fired on all cylinders for me, barring the couple of points I had mentioned before. Now, I will let them slide and tell you why you might want to too.
Leo, the character, is an over-the-top badass. A notorious killer, with utter disregard for everything. Now for such a character, the dramatic shift in the flashback, and a difference in fighting style (as depicted through the vastly different stunts in the two halves) all make sense. This guy has a chip on his shoulder and calls the shots, rules over the sheep, a Lion personified.
In essence, Leo Das is the one and true villain of this tale.
This is Aniruddh’s world, and we’re lucky to live in it
My friend jokingly called the guy Anil-Ruddh. And I agree. Man’s always bringing his best work for Vijay. Be it Toww-tata-tow-tata-tow, or Ratata-rata-ratata, the soundtrack keeps you fired up throughout. EDM seems to be the flavor, and it was sweet! Man pumps the adrenaline with every note!
Lokiverse 2.0
I’ll admit. I was probably the loudest in the cinema for those tie-ins. The connections to Kaithi and Vikram at no point felt forced but also did not feel seamless as they did for the previous film. Even without those moments, Leo would still pack the same punch and be just as good. But I am excited to see where this goes, however!
In Loki, I trust!
Image courtesy: 7 Screen Studios
