Movie: Toxic
Rating: 1.75/5
Banner: Monster Mind Creations, KVN Productions
Cast: Yash, Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, Akshay Oberoi, Sudev Nair, Darrell D’Silva, Natalie Burn, Benedict Garrett, Kaushik Desai, Parminder Singh Kainth and others
Music Director: Ravi Basrur
DOP: Rajeev Ravi
Editor: Ujwal Kulkarni
Production Designer: T. P. Abid
Action: J. J. Perry, Anbariv, Kecha Khamphakdee, Amrit Singh
Producers: Venkat K Narayana, Yash
Written by: Geethu Mohandas, Yash
Directed by: Geethu Mohandas
Release Date: August 26, 2026
Yash’s popularity reached the pan-Indian level following the massive success of the KGF franchise, which is why Toxic generated tremendous hype. Although director Geethu Mohandas is not widely known outside the Malayalam film industry, the trailers and bold promotional content created strong curiosity. The presence of several leading actresses further added to the buzz.
Let us find out whether Yash has delivered another blockbuster like KGF 2.
Story
Raya (Yash) becomes a gangster and eventually a powerful don in Goa in 1947. His biggest priority in life is his sister Ganga (Nayanthara). He is initially in a relationship with Salvador’s daughter (Tara Sutaria), but later falls for Nadia (Kiara Advani), a circus performer. His relationship with Nadia creates complications within the gang.
After Ganga’s death, Raya believes Nadia is responsible. This turns him into a ruthless and emotionally broken man, forcing him to confront his own demons. The rest of the film revolves around Raya’s journey and whether he eventually discovers the truth behind his sister’s death.
Performances
Yash showed what he could bring to the table as an action star and mass hero in the KGF films, and he carries the same swag into Toxic. He is terrific as Raya, the original gangster, bringing plenty of style and attitude to the character.
However, he is constantly seen posing with a cigarette or cigar, which becomes repetitive after a point. More importantly, Raya lacks the impact of Rocky from KGF because the character is not written with the same heroic or emotionally compelling qualities.
Nayanthara, as Ganga, initially appears to have a strong and important role, but her character soon becomes more decorative than meaningful.
Kiara Advani, as the main heroine, does what is required of her. Huma Qureshi and Tara Sutaria are wasted despite being part of the gang.
Rukmini Vasanth makes a grand entry after the interval, but her character loses impact within a few scenes. None of the other male actors gets a particularly noteworthy role.
Technical Aspects
The film is mounted on a grand scale, and the visuals are impressive. Some of the action sequences are also well executed. However, despite the lavish production values, the film rarely creates a genuine sense of awe. Several portions look heavily dependent on VFX rather than truly spectacular filmmaking.
Ravi Basrur once again delivers a loud background score that gives several scenes much-needed energy. However, except for Tabaahi, the songs fail to make an impact and at times sound overly synthetic.
Ujwal Kulkarni, who was also part of the KGF team, attempts a similar editing style here. But the lengthy runtime and uneven narration make the film tiresome, and the editing does little to reduce the boredom.
Highlights
Yash’s performance
Lavish visuals and production design
Drawbacks
Confused plot and aimless narration
Extremely lengthy runtime
Weak characterization
Female characters lack impact
Telugu dubbing and unnecessary use of ‘L’ words
Analysis
Toxic, Yash’s first film after the sensational pan-Indian success of KGF 2, begins on a promising note. Yash is introduced as gangster Raya, with the film presenting him as a stylish action hero. The early portions also focus heavily on his magnetic appeal to women, including his relationships with Tara Sutaria and Kiara Advani.
The bigger problem with the film is the world it creates. The characters, dialogues and situations often feel clichéd and disconnected from the ethos of an Indian gangster drama. Very few characters establish an emotional connection with the audience.
Even the emotional thread between Raya and Ganga fails to make the desired impact. Their childhood episodes, including Ganga’s sacrifices to feed and protect her brother, feel like rehashed portions from several old gangster films.
Raya and Nadia’s relationship also feels familiar, borrowing heavily from ideas already explored in older Hollywood and Bollywood films.
Once the central conflict becomes clear, the film struggles to hold attention. The narration becomes increasingly chaotic, and the movie seems unsure about what it wants to be. It begins as a gangster drama, shifts into a brother-sister story, occasionally turns into a father-son drama and eventually takes a completely different direction in the climax.
The final twist could have been effective and shocking if the preceding portions had been engaging. Instead, by the time it arrives, the audience is already exhausted by nearly three hours of slow and tedious narration.
The supertitles indicate that the first half is set in Goa in 1947 and the second half in Goa in 1967, with some portions taking place in Macau. Yet several major sequences unfold in snowy mountainous terrain, creating further confusion about the film’s geography and timeline.
The film also boasts an unusually large female cast, but the writing does not justify their presence. Most of the female characters are underdeveloped, with several of their arcs effectively ending in the first half.
Rukmini Vasanth appears in only a few scenes after the interval, and even her character fails to develop meaningfully.
The lavish production values, Yash’s different looks, his commanding screen presence and his performance in the later portions are the film’s major positives. Ravi Basrur’s background score also provides some energy.
But these strengths are overwhelmed by chaotic writing, uneven narration and an excessive runtime.
Overall, at more than three hours, Toxic becomes an exhausting experience. The film has the scale, star power and technical resources needed to deliver a major action spectacle, but the writing and narration fail to turn those elements into even a moderately engaging drama.
In one word, Toxic is a mess. It has Yash’s swag, but its confused writing, exhausting runtime and lack of emotional or heroic connect make it a tedious watch. The final twist tries to create some impact, but it arrives too late to rescue an otherwise messy and tiresome narrative.
Bottom Line: Toxic Indeed
