11th October 2023 Mumbai: Leo film stands in another controversy radar, where several backup dancers from the film ‘Naa redi’ song accused the film’s production team for their lack of payment system. However, the film Production house is completely denying the claims made by these dancers.
Another Controversy for Thalapathy Vijay’s ‘Leo’
The upcoming film ‘Leo’ starring Thalapathy Vijay has been embroiled in several controversies. Recently, fake tickets were sold in Madurai, adding to the film’s woes. Moreover, the production house Seven Screen Studio faced allegations from background dancers working in the film, accusing them of not being paid. These claims have once again put the filmmakers in a difficult situation. Standing in support of the filmmakers, R.K. Selvamani, the president of the Film Employees Federation of South India, released a statement.
Unpaid wages for the backup dancers
As per the reports, some background dancers working on the song ‘Naa Redi’ in the film ‘Leo’ have complained about the payout system by the production team. Recently, one of the dancers from the team, Riyaz Ahmed, shared a video where he can be seen requesting the filmmakers to clear the pending salary. A few backup dancers also visited the office of Seven Screen Studio seeking answers and solution for the issue.
The members of the production house met with the dancers and made it clear that the salary for registered dancers has been forwarded to the Dancers Union. However, the dancers were not entirely convinced and lacked confidence in this assurance.
Clarification by the ‘Leo’ Production team
As per the statement issued, On October 10th, R.K. Selvamani, the president of the Film Employees Federation of South India, clarifying that the pending dues had already been paid out. He also mentioned that the production team expressed their interest in filming a song with 2,000 background dancers, however only 600 were registered by the Tamil Nadu Film, Television Dance and Dance Directors Union (TANTTNNIS).
Additionally, Choreographer Dinesh Master hired 600 background dancers from the union and occupied other 1,400 individuals (as freelancers) who were not part of the union for the song ‘Naa Redi,’ shot over six days between June 6th and June 11th.
Some updates on Leo
“Leo” is an upcoming Tamil action thriller directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Produced by S. S. Lalit Kumar and Jagadish Palanisamy, it’s the third installment in Lokesh’s Cinematic Universe. Thalapathy Vijay stars as the lead, alongside Trisha, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mansoor Ali Khan, and Mysskin.
By Harsh Rathod