Thalapathy Vijay was in awe of Sanjay Dutt; powerful villain is key to blockbuster: Leo producer Lalit Kumar

Producer Lalit Kumar is quite upbeat about his upcoming movie Leo, which stars Tamil superstar Thalapthy Vijay in the lead. Leo is Vijay's first attempt at a pan-India release, and Lalit is confident that this movie will click with the audience in the Hindi belt as big as it would in the South Indian pockets. 

Lalit discussed many aspects of Leo during a recent film event held to celebrate the upcoming 49th birthday of Vijay. During the event, Lalit also reflected on what Bollywood as an industry was doing wrong given that Hindi films have repeatedly failed to appeal to the evolving taste of the movie-going audience. 

Lokesh Kanagaraj opens up on special bond with Leo actor Sanjay Dutt: 'He calls me son'

And Lalit suggested a course correction for the Hindi filmmakers. "Not just artists but the combination is very important," he said. The seasoned producer suggested that the Tamil and Telugu filmmakers have perfected the art of creating powerful villains to make compelling mainstream movies. 

"For example, when we did Master, the script demanded Vijay Sethupathi. I learned from Vijay sir, that when a villain is powerful, the film becomes a blockbuster. That's why we brought in Sethupathi and in Leo, we have Sanjay Dutt sir. Vijay sir would be the first one to clap after Sanjay Dutt sir finished a scene. Every scene will give you goosebumps. His screen presence will be so good and powerful," he observed. 

Lalit seems to believe that diversifying the star cast is key to reaching new audiences. "In Bollywood, they cater to the taste of fixed audiences. If they change, it will be good. I expect Jawan, which Atlee is doing, will go big," he added.  

In the last few years, there has been a significant shift in the power dynamics within the Indian film industry. The Hindi film industry, popularly called Bollywood, enjoyed the de facto status of "the big brother" a for long period it commanded a bigger market share compared to other regional film industries. And that changed with the pan-India blockbusters like Baahubali 2, KGF 2, Pushpa: The Rise and Kantara. As the movie-buffs in the Hindi belt have begun to go to cinemas to watch South Indian movies, Bollywood is in quite a pickle. It now needs to step up to match the flamboyancy and mastery of South filmmakers when it comes to making commercial films for mass consumption. And so far, the Hindi filmmakers are struggling to meet the challenge. 

Leo is written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. The film is due in cinemas on October 19.