Toxic Review: Yash Is Brilliant, But Is the Film?

Geetu Mohandas’ directorial Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups released on August 26, 2026, in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam, and while I liked the film, there are flaws that are noticeable and cannot be ignored. The early audience response to Toxic has also been mixed, with Yash’s performance, visuals and action getting praise while the screenplay, pacing and editing have drawn criticism. But is Yash’s Toxic worth watching? Let’s find out.

Toxic Plot

The story is fairly simple. Raya, played by Yash, is a gangster with a tragic past. His history is so disturbing that he and his sister Ganga, played by Nayanthara, are determined to rule the world of organised crime. Raya partners with the King of Goa, Salvador, played by Darrell D’Silva, and marries his daughter to become the heir. But things go downhill when he falls in love with Nadia, played by Kiara Advani. Their affair leads to chaos, misunderstandings and, of course, a lot of toxicity, pun intended.

What is good in Yash’s Toxic?

Yash is phenomenal in this film. He carries the entire Toxic movie on his shoulders as Raya and Ticket, both played by Yash. I particularly liked the craziness of Ticket, his impulsive behaviour and how easily he gets agitated. He feels completely unpredictable, like you never know what he might do next. Yash’s screen presence is easily one of the biggest strengths of this Toxic review.

The overall vibe of the film looks premium and aesthetic. The clothing, visuals, colours and style all look grand on the big screen. This is supported by very clean cinematography, where almost everything is captured beautifully, although the visuals become a little vague during some action scenes. Big ups to the production design of Toxic. The story itself is not something that will make you connect deeply, but Geetu Mohandas’ storytelling feels different and surprisingly emotional on the canvas. By the end, it can genuinely bring a tear to your eye.

The Toxic climax and ending left a small impact on me because of the metaphor and the way the ending is built up. It is genuinely touching, and perhaps this is where Geetu Mohandas’ perspective as a filmmaker makes the difference. There is a sensitivity to how the film presents what is happening beneath the surface. We definitely need more female filmmakers in India.

What is bad in Yash’s Toxic film?

With the film’s runtime of 194 minutes, the first half of Toxic is slow and has a lot of highs and lows. The highs can give you a boost or a rush, while the lows are stretched out for too long or fail to hit the core because of the fast-paced editing. The editing is one of my biggest problems with the film. It is fast, abrupt and often too jarring, almost like a MrBeast video where the frame changes every few seconds. That style may work for short-form content, but here it sometimes makes the Toxic movie experience feel disconnected.

The second half is better, but the overall emotional journey of Raya does not hit as hard as it should. There is some mature and tragic material in Raya’s past that should make you feel deeply for him, but that emotional connect never lands remarkably for me. Again, I think the fast editing plays a major role here. The songs and some of the dialogue also did not work for me. They come and go without leaving much impact, although a few dialogues do make you smile or laugh because of Yash’s excellent delivery.

So even after giving Raya such a mature and tragic past, the Toxic story somehow struggles to create the emotional connection it should have.

Is Yash’s Toxic worth watching?

Yes, definitely. If you are a hardcore Yash fan, you can watch it with your eyes closed. This is arguably his best performance so far, although Ramayana could surpass it in the future. If you enjoy good visuals, high production value and a strong cinematic background, Toxic is worth watching.

However, if you are primarily a story-driven moviegoer, *Toxic *comes with a small warning. The writing and editing may disappoint you, especially in the first half. But stay till the end and wait for the climax because, as I said, the ending does hit the spot.

Are there any post-credit or mid-credit scenes in Yash’s Toxic?

After an abrupt, or rather open-ended, ending, there are no post-credit or mid-credit scenes in Yash’s Toxic.