Do you know that south superstar Vijay- starer Leo was initially planned to be shot in Theni, a small town in Tamil Nadu? However, the location was later changed to Kashmir.
In an interview, Lokesh Kanagaraj revealed about the reasons behind the changing of locations for the Leo, which is scheduled for a theatrical release on October 19.
“The reason why the film was shot in Kashmir is different altogether. Since we wanted the film to be grounded, we wanted to shoot in many live locations. I wrote setting the story in a village in Theni. We also started location scouting in that area. But a huge crowd gathered around us, and we couldn’t do it. So, it was impossible to take him (Vijay) there for shooting,” Lokesh said.
“When did we last see Vijay in a shot just walking by on a real road? It is all set. The only way to make something real was to shoot in a foreign country, but I haven’t seen any foreign country. Not a big traveller. I don’t know what happens there. When we chose Kashmir, we thought as the terrain was changing, there would be something to explore. Beyond helping the film, the location helped in shooting realistic things with Vijay. Other than shooting, Vijay anna started exploring the place on foot. He started enjoying it himself. Where else can he do that in Tamil Nadu?,” he added.
Lokesh added Vijay could do a lot because of the isolation from the crowd. “One day, I just asked if he was free and took him to the director’s room. I told him ‘Let’s go and mess with assistants’. And he agreed. We opened the door shocking the assistants, who came to a standstill. All that happened. On top of that, the location helped a lot for the project. When I look at the hyena sequence after DI (Digital Intermediate), all the hardships don’t come to mind.”