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Toxic Movie Review: Yash shines in a powerful double role alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara and Huma Qureshi in Geetu Mohandas’ stylish gangster epic.
Yash as Raya in Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups.
Toxic A
3/5
Starring: Yash, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth, Akshay Oberoi, Sudev Nair, Kabir PahwaDirector: Geetu Mohandas Music: Vishal Mishra, Ravi Basrur, Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, Arslan Nizami
Toxic Movie Review: Stylistically exuberant, massy, atmospheric, action-packed and deliciously macabre, Toxic, Geetu Mohandas’ multi-starrer with Yash at the helm, takes its own sweet time to pull you into its gritty and shadow-slicked world. But once it does, it leaves you hooked, line and sinker, to a story that is not only unique but also unafraid of scraping deep into the moral greys of its people, excavating their psyche, wounds, hunger and motives. Backed by a stellar slew of female faces, including Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Kiara Advani and Tara Sutaria, the film gradually reveals why it has been dubbed “a fairy tale for grown-ups.” Yes, it does suffer from flaws that are too glaring to be politely ignored, but compared to the scale on which it has been mounted and the sweep of its overarching plot, one can still overlook much of the turbulence. So, is it worth the watch? Let’s find out.
Set in post-1947 Goa, when the rest of India had become independent but Goa still remained under the Portuguese, the film follows Raya, played by Yash, and his sister Ganga, played by Nayanthara. The two have risen together from the darkest, most tenebrous pits of their childhood. Ganga has mentored, raised and moulded Raya in the furnace of their afflictions and misfortunes, and she wants nothing less than Goa for him. Like Chanakya, she guides him, offers words of wisdom every now and then, and helps her brother inch towards his zenith, pushing him to become the Sikandar of their world.
Raya is a man who sports a stylish beard, smokes cigarettes with swagger, has edgy and occasionally metaphorical comebacks, carries a penchant for violence, thrashes enemies with style and panache, and always finds extraordinary ways to make his rivals meet their maker. He is certainly not the usual morally upright protagonist, and that is evident in the way he carries himself. Among his many vices, one that he seems most passionately committed to is women. But he is not the monogamous kind, something he makes very clear when he says, “Ishq aisa karta har ladki ko lagta chaand ussi ke chakkar lagata magar kameene ka dil har bandhan se pare, khula aasmaan tha, azaad.”
Enter Rebecca, played by Tara Sutaria, the daughter of Salvador, the gangster for whom Raya and Ganga work. It does not take long for Raya to charm and entice his way into Rebecca’s heart. While he continues his fling with her in secrecy, Salvador’s partner Elizabeth, played by Huma Qureshi, and her brother Tony, played by Akshay Oberoi, hatch a sinister plan to eliminate Salvador once and for all.
That plan begins at Nadia’s Royal Circus, but Raya saves the day by heroically fighting off hired goons dressed as jokers in a snazzy, gory and wildly theatrical manner. The circus also becomes a pivotal point in his life, because this is where he crosses paths with Nadia, played by Kiara Advani.
Initially, Raya suspects Nadia of being behind the attack on Salvador, but eventually learns that she was not involved. The two then develop a complicated, charged and intense relationship, one that brings both their worlds crashing down amid chaos, unprecedented violence, trauma and, of course, an offspring who becomes the focal point of the story. Revealing more than that would ruin the experience.
At first glance, Toxic may seem like yet another pan-India spectacle with over-the-top action, a massive budget, thunderous dialogues, formidable enemies and a protagonist either seeking vengeance or trying to save someone dear to him. But first impressions can often be treacherous, and that is precisely true in the case of Toxic.
This Geetu Mohandas directorial is more than the action, swagger, music and dialogues it offers its viewers. There are several psychological layers to peel through as the story progresses, whether it is Raya’s bond with Ganga, his vehement confrontations with his son Ticket, also played by Yash, or Raya’s fractured psyche, shaped by the choices he makes, both good and bad. There is far more at play here than massy punchlines and cool fight sequences, something one discovers slowly while sinking deeper into Raya’s complicated story arc.
The film is a visual treat. Most of the scenes have been mounted and shot in a way that feels delectable to the eyes. The post-Independence setting of Goa and its portrayal leave a strong impression.
Men sporting dapper suits and classic hairstyles, women oozing glamour, opulent sets, meticulous costumes, gleaming cars and stylish fedoras all accentuate the visual architecture of the story, and quite rightly so. Some sequences, especially the one set at the circus and another at the diner, stand apart because of how brilliant and effulgent they look in terms of scale, design and magnitude. Credit must go to Rajeev Ravi’s cinematography, production designer TP Abid, art directors Mohan B Kere and Sandeep G Sharma, along with the rest of the respective departments that help shape the film’s lush and menacing visual identity.
As for the flaws, the editing can come across as choppy and discordant. The abrupt cuts and sequences, quite reminiscent of KGF, hinder one’s attention span every now and then across the film’s 3 hour and 14 minutes runtime. Some dialogues land with impact, while others feel corny and even crass in certain instances.
And while the film understandably revolves around Raya, it becomes evident that with so many female characters orbiting him, not everyone gets her due. There is a gross underutilisation of female characters despite the film’s heavy emphasis on its female-led casting. Geetu Mohandas could have given more agency to these women, which would have elevated the overall experience rather than occasionally making them feel like ornamental placeholders in Raya’s expanding mythology. While characters like Ganga and Elizabeth, played by Nayanthara and Huma Qureshi respectively, command a strong presence in the larger storyline, Rebecca, played by Tara Sutaria, and Mellisa, played by Rukmini Vasanth, do not quite have the same grip on the narrative.
On the acting front, Yash hits it out of the park with his double role as Raya and his eccentric son Ticket. The way he approaches, develops and portrays these two contrasting and disparate characters, their respective mannerisms, voice inflections and body movements, is absolutely commendable. Ticket’s flexible, agile and parkour-like physicality stands in striking contrast to Raya’s imposing and lofty demeanour. One particular scene towards the end of the film, where we witness this variance with remarkable clarity, proves just how carefully Yash has calibrated both performances.
Kiara Advani as Nadia also performs exceptionally well, portraying a broken woman who falls passionately for Raya and becomes a collateral participant in his chaotic world. Her chemistry with Yash works wonderfully. Huma Qureshi as Elizabeth, Nayanthara as Ganga and Rukmini Vasanth as Mellisa each bring gravitas and uniqueness to their characters. Tara Sutaria too does a phenomenal job as Rebecca, and her scenes with Yash are truly impressive. Other actors who deserve praise include Sudev Nair as Karmadi, Kabir Pahwa as young Ticket, Akshay Oberoi as Tony and others, all of whom add texture to the film’s sprawling canvas.
In the end, Toxic may not be an immaculate beast, but it is certainly a fascinating one. It is excessive, moody, violent, ornate and occasionally uneven, yet there is an undeniable pulse beneath all that smoke, blood and swagger. Geetu Mohandas does not merely build a gangster drama around Yash’s towering presence. She fashions a bruised fable about inheritance, desire, rage, power and the sins that travel quietly from one generation to another. The film falters when it forgets its women and overindulges in its own spectacle, but when it works, it has the feverish magnetism of a nightmare told under golden lights. Toxic is not clean, gentle or perfectly disciplined cinema. It is messy, seductive and morally corroded, and perhaps that is exactly why its grown-up fairy tale leaves behind a bitter, lingering aftertaste.
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18Yash believes “Toxic” has the potential to appeal to a global audience, as the film was conceived with an international scale and storytelling in mind, and was shot in English. He also stated that Indian cinema needs to rethink how films are made, marketed, and released internationally to reach non-diaspora audiences.
Ask News18About the Author
Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he\’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always…Read More
August 26, 2026, 14:52 IST
