
Director Geetu Mohandas and star Yash's film Toxic has drawn heavy criticism from audiences and reviewers since its release on Wednesday. Old interviews of the two have resurfaced online and are being used to attack the film. In a resurfaced clip, Mohandas said she does not always follow her original script. Yash is seen predicting viewers would leave the theatre shocked and ask, "What the hell was that?" That statement has become a viral joke.

Ndtv.com reports the film faced backlash even before release, over its teaser, the Tabaahi song, and complaints about religious imagery and the portrayal of women. Despite the criticism, Greatandhra.com reports the film earned Rs 101.10 crore net in India on its first day, with Rs 140.75 crore worldwide. No official confirmation of these numbers is available yet.
Ndtv.com focused on thematic complaints about the film, from the teaser to religious imagery, framing the controversy as a broad pre-release backlash. Greatandhra.com instead highlighted resurfaced old interviews of director Geetu Mohandas and lead actor Yash as the core criticism, suggesting the film's negative reception is now being retroactively linked to their past statements. Ndtv gave no box-office figure. Greatandhra provided opening-day numbers. The difference reflects editorial choice: one outlet summarises the cultural friction around the project itself, the other draws a direct line between creator comments and audience response. The merged picture shows a film that drew organised objection before release and is now being judged partly through its makers' own words. The first-week box office trend will show whether the noise matters commercially.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): ndtv.com (neutral report), greatandhra.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.