Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups arrives with enormous expectations. After KGF: Chapter 2, Yash's return to the big screen was always going to be a major event, and the film certainly looks like one. Unfortunately, the bigger problem is that beneath all the stylish visuals, violence and larger-than-life moments, there isn't enough of a story to hold it together.
The film has ambition, but the execution feels messy and exhausting. Yash is easily the biggest strength, yet even his screen presence cannot completely rescue a film that keeps choosing style over substance.
Rating: ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (1.5/5)
Toxic Story: What Is the Film About?
Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic is set largely in post-Independence Goa and follows the rise of a powerful gangster and the violent world surrounding him.
Yash plays dual roles — Raya, a dangerous gangster, and Rumi, his estranged son. The story moves across decades and involves crime syndicates, family conflict, betrayal, power struggles and revenge.
On paper, there is plenty here to work with. The problem is that the screenplay keeps jumping between characters, timelines and ideas without giving most of them enough emotional weight.
The film runs for around 3 hours and 14–15 minutes, and that runtime becomes one of its biggest enemies.
Yash Is the Biggest Positive
There is no denying that Yash looks the part.
Whether he is playing the older and more intimidating Raya or switching into the younger Rumi, he brings the kind of screen presence that can fill a large screen. His body language, voice and larger-than-life attitude work particularly well in the action portions.
This is also one area where even several negative reviews agree. Early audience reactions repeatedly praised Yash, the visuals and the action sequences even while criticising the writing and editing.
The problem is that the film asks Yash to carry far too much. A great performance can elevate a weak screenplay, but it cannot replace one.
Where Toxic Goes Wrong
The writing is the biggest issue.
The film is constantly trying to appear bigger, darker and more important than it actually is. There are plenty of characters, violent confrontations and dramatic reveals, but surprisingly little emotional connection underneath them.
Several reviews have made the same observation in different ways. The Indian Express gave the film 1.5/5, criticising its relentless violence and arguing that the three-hour-plus runtime leaves the film feeling like sound and fury without enough substance. Hindustan Times went even harsher, calling it a sensory overload and giving it 1/5.
The issue isn't that the film is violent. A gangster movie can absolutely be violent. The problem is that the violence often feels like an end in itself rather than something that builds the characters or story.
Action and Visuals: Big, But Not Enough
Technically, Toxic is undeniably ambitious.
The production design is lavish, the cinematography creates a distinctive period-gangster atmosphere, and some action sequences are genuinely impressive. The film clearly wants to deliver a theatrical experience rather than a conventional crime drama.
But the spectacle starts losing its impact when one big sequence is followed by another without enough breathing room.
Even the more positive audience reactions largely agree that the visuals and action are among the film's strongest elements, while the story and pacing are where it starts falling apart.
What About the Supporting Cast?
Toxic has an unusually packed cast, including Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth.
There are some strong individual moments, but the screenplay doesn't give most of these characters enough room to make a lasting impact. The female characters in particular have received criticism from reviewers who felt the film doesn't give them the depth suggested by its large ensemble.
Nayanthara has an important emotional connection to the protagonist, while Kiara's character adds another complicated relationship to the story, but neither completely escapes the limitations of the screenplay.
Toxic Reviews: Critics and Audiences Are Divided
Interestingly, Toxic has not received a uniformly negative response.
Some viewers have praised Geetu Mohandas' visual ambition, Yash's performance and the second-half action, while others have called the movie exhausting and poorly edited. India Today documented this sharp divide in early audience reactions, with ratings ranging from around 2/5 to 4.5/5 depending on the viewer.
The critical response has leaned considerably more negative. Reviews have repeatedly mentioned the long runtime, weak screenplay, excessive violence and lack of emotional depth.
So this is definitely one of those films where your mileage may vary — especially if you're a hardcore Yash fan and primarily want the star in full mass mode.
Final Verdict: Should You Watch Toxic?
For me, Toxic doesn't work as a complete film.
There are moments when you can see the movie it wanted to become: a stylish, strange and ambitious gangster epic with a strong central character. Yash gives it everything, and some of the action and production design are genuinely worth seeing on a big screen.
But the screenplay never matches that ambition. The film is too long, too noisy and too dependent on surface-level coolness, while its emotional core remains frustratingly thin.
At ⭐ ⭐ ☆ ☆ ☆ (1.5/5), Toxic is difficult to recommend as a full theatrical experience unless you're going primarily for Yash's screen presence and the action spectacle.
For everyone else, this feels like a case of a very expensive film that looks far better than it actually plays.