The Tamil Nadu government issued an order on Friday, October 13, revoking permission for Vijay starrer Leo to have special early morning screenings. This comes a day after the government issued an order granting permission for Leo to have shows as early as 4:00 am from the release date- October 19 to October 24. The new order issued said that theatres can have five shows but the first show on the above mentioned dates must begin only at 9 am and the last show must end by 1:30 am. Leo is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and has a star studded cast including Vijay, Trisha, Mysskin, Sanjay Dutt, among others.
The government order (GO), issued by Tamil Nadu’s Principal Secretary to the Government P Amudha, said that the police must form special teams to monitor theatres so that there are no violations of the directives. The GO read, “I therefore direct all Licensing Authorities to to follow the above instructions scrupulously during the screening of special shows for the movie titled Leo and to take necessary action to ensure proper safety of the public and the audience visiting cinema halls, regulating traffic and to prevent exorbitant rates of admission during such shows.”
Leo is one of the many big star vehicles that did not get permission for special early morning shows. Rajini starrer Jailer, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, released in September this year but did not get permission for early morning screenings. Similarly, Vijay and Ajith movies, Varisu and Thunivu, which released in January 2023 also did not have early morning screenings in the state.
It is believed that the DMK government made an exception to Vijay’s film, considering the angst of his fans, who are already disappointed over the film’s audio launch being cancelled. Fans of the actor believe that the Stalin-led government denied permission for the audio launch of the film.