Toxic Movie Review:
Movie: Toxic
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Yash, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth, Akshay Oberoi, Sudev Nair, Darrell D’Silva,
Amit Tiwari and others
Music: Vishal Mishra, Ravi Basrur, Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, Arsalan Nizami
Producers: Venkatesh K. Narayan, Yash
Release (Theatre) Date: August 26, 2026
Toxic was easily one of the most awaited films of the year. After turning into a pan-India star with the KGF films, Yash is back on the big screen after almost four years.
This time, he isn’t just the lead actor. Yash has also taken on writing and production responsibilities, while Geetu Mohandas has directed the film. With all the hype around it, the movie opened strongly in both domestic and international markets. But does it actually live up to those expectations?
What’s the story?
Raya (Yash) and Ganga (Nayanthara) are siblings who lose their parents and are left to fend for themselves. Circumstances force Raya to pick up a weapon at a very young age, and before he even understands what he’s getting into, he becomes familiar with violence and bloodshed.
Ganga takes responsibility for her younger brother, and the two eventually grow up and enter the world of crime. They start working with Salvador’s (Darrell D’Silva) gang in Goa.
Raya becomes close to Salvador’s daughter Rebecca (Tara Sutaria). Later, after a series of unexpected events, he gets close to Nadia (Kiara Advani). Their relationship eventually leads to Nadia becoming pregnant.
So what happens to their relationship? Why does Nadia have to leave Raya? Does Ticket (Yash), Nadia’s son, ever meet his father? And who exactly is Melisa (Rukmini Vasanth), the woman who later enters Raya’s life?
You’ll have to watch the film to find out.
How is the movie?
The film opens with a warning that this isn’t some simple story that’s going to be easy to understand. And honestly, that’s pretty accurate. For quite some time, it’s difficult to figure out exactly where the story is heading.
Toxic is a gangster drama heavily influenced by Western films and culture. There is a mix of family relationships, especially the brother-sister and father-son bonds, along with a romantic angle.
As expected, Yash gets the kind of larger-than-life role his fans have been waiting for after KGF. The hero elevations, action sequences and his screen presence are easily among the biggest highlights.
The film starts in the backdrop of 1947, but the characters aren’t explained very clearly at first. There’s a lot happening on screen — guns firing, people getting beaten up and plenty of bloodshed — but not much effort is made to properly establish the story or the emotional side of things.
Things start settling down a little once Kiara Advani’s Nadia enters the story. Until then, the film is mostly about action and expensive-looking visuals.
The scenes leading up to the interval are one of the stronger portions of the film. The dramatic moments involving Ganga, Rebecca and Nadia also add some much-needed tension.
The second half gets an interesting twist, which makes you expect something big. But once the story moves away from Goa, not much really changes. The film continues with the same violence-heavy approach.
The conflict between Raya and Ticket feels like it should be the heart of the second half, but the film takes too long to actually get there. There are also too many characters and scenes, along with long stretches of dialogue that don’t always feel necessary. This eventually adds to the runtime.
The father-son drama towards the end could have given the film a strong emotional finish. Unfortunately, the director doesn’t really push that angle enough.
There is a twist towards the end, but it doesn’t quite deliver the impact you might expect.
In the end, Toxic is another reminder that big visuals and action alone aren’t enough. The story and screenplay need the same amount of attention too.
Performances
Yash is obviously the biggest attraction here. As Raya, he once again reminds you of Rocky Bhai from KGF. At the same time, you can still feel that he hasn’t completely moved away from that image.
His performance as Ticket is also impressive.
Kiara Advani’s character is one of the film’s biggest strengths. If there are moments where the movie genuinely manages to create some emotion, a lot of the credit goes to Kiara and her performance.
Nayanthara makes a strong impression in the first half as Ganga. Tara Sutaria and Huma Qureshi also do well in their respective roles.
Rukmini Vasanth appears in the second half, but her character doesn’t really have enough depth to make much of an impact.
Technically, Rajeev Ravi’s cinematography stands out. Ravi Basrur’s background score works in parts, though it doesn’t always make the expected impact. The songs aren’t particularly memorable.
The production design is easily one of the film’s highlights. The scale of the production is visible in almost every scene.
Geetu Mohandas shows good control in a few sequences, but the film as a whole doesn’t have the same grip. Some dialogues work well, while a few others are difficult to make sense of.
The production quality is impressive, and the film definitely looks expensive.
Aslo Read: I Nobody Review: Prithviraj’s Heist Thriller Is Stylish, Messy and Surprisingly Engaging
What works
* Raya and Nadia’s love story
*Yash’s performance
* A few strong dialogues
* Grand visuals and production design
* Action sequences
What doesn’t
* Weak story and screenplay
* Too much violence
* Lengthy runtime
* Too many characters and subplots
*Emotional moments don’t land as strongly as they should
Final Verdict
Toxic is more about style, violence and Yash’s screen presence than the actual story. There’s plenty of action and visual grandeur for Yash fans, but the weak screenplay and long runtime hold the film back.
Verdict: Toxic… more violence than substance!
Can you watch it with family? The film has received an A certificate, and there are quite a few extremely violent and graphic scenes. So, if you’re planning a family outing, you might want to think twice.
