I went into Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown Ups with a lot of excitement. The film had created curiosity with its unusual title, stylish promotional material and the combination of superstar Yash with filmmaker Geetu Mohandas, known for films such as Liar’s Dice and Moothon. Unfortunately, after watching the film, the biggest problem becomes clear quite quickly. Toxic has plenty of style, but the story does not have enough strength to support it.
There is no doubt that a lot of effort has gone into making Toxic look different. Almost every scene has a carefully created visual style, with dark locations, sepia colours, detailed sets and dramatic action sequences. The film clearly wants to move away from the usual formula of a big star movie and create its own world. The problem is that impressive visuals cannot replace a strong story.
The first half, especially before the interval, often feels like a collection of stylish scenes placed one after another. There are creative shots, action moments and dramatic dialogues, but they do not always connect well. As a result, the audience keeps waiting for the main story to become more interesting and take control of the film.
Some of the dialogues also seem designed more to create an impact than to move the story forward. Lines such as “Meri mother tongue hi violence hai” and “Do I look civilized?” have attitude, but they do not always carry enough emotional or dramatic weight.
The film’s long runtime makes this problem more noticeable. A movie running for more than three hours can still work if the audience remains invested in the story. Toxic, however, does not always provide that reason to stay engaged. At times, it feels as if the film could have benefited from a tighter edit.
Yash is easily one of the strongest parts of the movie. He carries the character’s attitude naturally and looks comfortable in his clean shaven appearance. His screen presence is strong, and fans will have plenty to enjoy. However, even a star with this much charisma needs a well written character to make a lasting impact.
Kiara Advani and Nayanthara also add to the film. Kiara brings an emotional and vulnerable side to her character, while Nayanthara looks confident and powerful. Both actresses fit well into the film’s visual world, although their characters could have been written with more depth.
Ultimately, Toxic feels like a film with huge ambition but an uneven story. There are impressive visuals, action, style and Yash’s undeniable star power, but the narrative often struggles to hold everything together.
For Yash fans, the spectacle may be enough to make the film enjoyable. For viewers looking for a strong and engaging story, however, Toxic can feel like a beautifully made collection of scenes that is still searching for a solid narrative.
The ambition is clear, the visuals are impressive and Yash delivers, but the story needed to be much stronger to make Toxic truly memorable.
Movie: Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups
Directed by: Geetu Mohandas
Written by: Yash, Geetu Mohandas
Story by: Geetu Mohandas
Featuring: Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth, Akshay Oberoi, Darrell D’Silva, Sudev Nair
Cinematography: Rajeev Ravi
Edited by: Ujwal Kulkarni
Theatrical Release Date: 26 August 2026
Run Time: 3hrs 14mins
Language: Hindi (Dub)
Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups
2.5