Sanjay Dutt expresses disappointment over his small role in Thalapathy Vijay's ‘Leo’: 'Lokesh Kanagaraj wasted me'

Veteran Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who has seamlessly ventured into South Indian cinema in recent years, stirred conversation at the teaser launch of his upcoming Kannada gangster drama ‘KD – The Devil.’ According to the coverage, while discussing his latest film, Dutt opened up about a lingering disappointment from his time working on director Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Tamil blockbuster Leo, starring Thalapathy Vijay.When asked about his collaboration with Kanagaraj, Dutt didn’t mince words, “I worked with Thalapathy Vijay and I loved working with him. However, I am angry with Lokesh because he didn’t give me a big role. He wasted me.”These comments come as a surprise to fans who had previously seen camaraderie between the two artists. Dutt had earlier praised Kanagaraj on social media, referring to him as “my brother for life.”In 'Leo,' Dutt played the character Antony Das, the father of Vijay’s character named Parthiban. While his brief appearance added extra to the emotional weight of the film’s storyline, fans and critics both noted that his screen time and character development were limited, especially given the hype surrounding his involvement.The film was released in theaters on the month of October 19, 2023, and is currently streaming on the famous OTT platform Netflix, which will reach a global audience. Despite its success, Dutt’s comments highlighted an important conversation in cinema: balancing star power with meaningful roles. His blunt honesty emphasizes the artistic expectations veteran actors bring to the table, even in blockbuster settings.Despite his grievance, Dutt spoke warmly about the legends of Tamil cinema: “Rajini sir and Kamal sir, I respect them a lot. They are my seniors, I look up to them, and I learn from them. I worked with Rajini sir in Hindi movies multiple times, and he is such a humble person.”He also shared his admiration for Ajith Kumar, calling him a close friend, and expressed enthusiasm for upcoming releases like Rajinikanth’s Coolie and Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life.