Cuss words in films are usually used to express frustration and anger.
Notable instances also include actor Ajith’s uncensored dialogues in Mankatha and actor Suriya’s bold dialogues in the Venkat Prabhu film, Maasu Enna Masilamani.
As the debate rages on over Thalapathy Vijay’s dialogue in Leo, it’s worth exploring the usage of cuss words in Tamil cinema. Such words are often employed in moments of humour, stress or anger by characters on the big screen. Tamil films directed by K Balachander like Aval Oru Serial, Thappu Taalgal and Apoorva Raagangal, consist of dialogues featuring bad words. In Mani Ratnam’s film Nayakan which featured Kamal Haasan, his character’s childhood self was seen using cuss words. Even in the film Nachiyar, directed by Bala, actress Jyothika delivered dialogues containing strong language.
Notable instances also include actor Ajith’s uncensored dialogues in Mankatha and actor Suriya’s bold dialogues in the Venkat Prabhu film, Maasu Enna Masilamani. However, it’s the recent controversy surrounding Thalapathy Vijay’s much-anticipated film Leo that has brought the matter to the forefront.
In the film’s trailer, a particular dialogue featuring Vijay’s character, Prathiban, caught the audience’s attention due to its inclusion of a cuss word. The scene depicted Vijay expressing his frustrations to his on-screen wife, where he employed a strong expletive to describe his adversary. This inclusion raised disapproval and concerns among viewers.
Director Lokesh Kanagaraj, who helmed Leo, weighed in on the matter during a recent media interview. He defended the choice, stating that the word and emotion were contextually relevant to the scene. He explained, “We utter some words out of anger at times, this is that.” Kanagaraj revealed that before shooting the scene, Vijay had sought his approval for using the word and the director affirmed its necessity.
Kanagaraj made it clear that the dialogue was delivered by Parthiban, Vijay’s character in Leo. The film, which has garnered significant attention, is scheduled for release on 19 October and has been granted a U/A certification. The controversy surrounding this specific dialogue in Leo exemplifies the ongoing discourse surrounding the use of strong language in Tamil cinema.
