Toxic Twitter reviews: Yash's film called 'soulless, torture, and a complete nightmare'

Yash has returned to theatres after four years with Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, but the film has received a mixed response from audiences. Directed by Geetu Mohandas, the film released worldwide on August 26 with expectations running high, especially as it marks Yash's first theatrical release since KGF: Chapter 2. Made on a reported budget of around ₹500 crore, Toxic has certainly got people talking, with early reactions on X praising Yash's screen presence and the film's visuals, while others have aimed at its writing, pace and heavy dose of violence

Toxic positive Twitter reviews

Yash's presence has emerged as one of the more consistent positives in the early reactions. The film's scale, stylish presentation and certain action sequences have also received praise, even from viewers who were disappointed by the overall narrative. "Although the film is technically rich, the chaotic screenplay, weak dialogues, and editing errors make it a nightmare. Ravi Basrur's background music was even more annoying. Yash's screen presence and the climax are the only relief," a netizen shared his X review.

Some viewers, meanwhile, felt the film's visual style and Yash's larger-than-life presentation were among its strongest elements. "Yash's stylish appearance, circus-like stunts, and rich visuals are the only plus points in this 3-hour violent drama. Director Geethu has delivered a boring film with poorly designed characters, forced bold scenes, and emotionless scenes," another said.

Toxic mixed Twitter reviews

Another viewer was even more critical of the film's storytelling and called out several technical aspects of its execution. They wrote, "Toxic A Fairy Tale That Turns into a Complete Nightmare for Everyone! A technically sound film buried under chaotic writing and exhausting execution. There are barely any proper character introductions, the narrative has no clear flow, and the screenplay gets confusing enough that you're often left wondering what's even happening. Dialogue writing is bad, the editing is even worse, and Ravi Basrur's BGM only makes the experience more painful. Yash's screen presence and a few scenes, along with a better executed climax, are the very few positives. This one is hard to sit through. Not even a bad watch, this is a straight-up disaster!"

The comparisons with Yash's previous blockbuster franchise also came up repeatedly, with one viewer accusing the makers of leaning too heavily on the formula that worked for KGF. "They tried to imitate the KGF style and ended up with nothing. They relied solely on elevations and unnecessary violence without a story. Geethu Mohandas completely wasted a huge canvas," another netizen posted.

Another reaction questioned whether the film's lengthy runtime could work in its favour, writing, "By the time TOXIC ends, if you manage to sit through the entire 3-hour runtime, you will not only feel bad for Yash but also question why you gave this film three hours of your life. It also makes you think about all those hyped pre-release speeches from Yash, director Geetu Mohandas and the entire team. Either they were completely clueless about the final product, or the film leaves you wondering if you are the clueless one."

One critic simply wrote, "TOXIC - TORTURE! A Boring, Soulless, Violent Action Drama!"

The premise

Set in Goa between the 1950s and 1970s, when Portuguese rule was beginning to weaken, Toxic follows Raya, a man who builds his place in the city's violent criminal world and drug trade. Yash plays two characters in the film — Raya, the older gangster, and Rumi, also known as Ticket, his estranged son who returns with revenge on his mind. The film also features Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi and Rukmini Vasanth in key roles.

Strong opening despite mixed word of mouth

The mixed reactions on social media have not stopped Toxic from making a strong start at the box office. The film had already clocked Rs49 crore in Day 1 bookings in India. Trade estimates currently put its opening-day India gross at around Rs80-100 crore, while projections suggest the film could cross the Rs100 crore mark worldwide, with estimates ranging between Rs100 crore and Rs120 crore.