Toxic Review: Yash’s Star Power Gets Buried Under A Chaotic, Exhausting Gangster Drama

Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups had huge expectations riding on it. The film has Yash in the lead, a big cast, lavish sets and plenty of action. But after watching it, the biggest issue I found is how difficult the film makes it to stay invested in its story.

Geetu Mohandas tries to mix crime, family drama, revenge, romance and action in Toxic. There are some interesting ideas here, but the film struggles to bring them together smoothly. The story keeps moving between different characters and conflicts, making the overall experience far more tiring than engaging.

Toxic Review

Director: Geetu Mohandas

Cast: Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth, Akshay Oberoi, Sudev Nair and others.

Runtime: 3 hours 14 minutes (194 minutes)

Where To Watch: In Theatres

Rating: 1.5/ 5 Stars

Toxic takes us to a fictionalised period Goa, where crime, opium and power control Raya’s world. Played by Yash, Raya rises through Salvador’s criminal empire and becomes a feared gangster. His relationship with his sister Ganga also plays an important part in his story.

Raya is set to marry Salvador’s daughter Rebecca, but things change when Nadia and her Royal Circus enter his life. The story then gets another major twist when Ticket, Raya’s abandoned son, returns looking for revenge. Yash playing both characters gives the film an interesting father-son conflict.

Honestly, this sounds much better on paper than it works on screen. There is family drama, betrayal, revenge and plenty of violence, so the film has enough material for a strong gangster story. Sadly, it keeps adding more characters and developments instead of building the ones that actually matter.

Characters appear and disappear, while the story quickly moves from one conflict to another. Because of this, many moments that should feel important simply pass by. By the time another twist arrives, I was more confused than excited to see what happened next.

The screenplay is one huge problem with Toxic. The basic story has potential, especially the conflict between Raya and Ticket, but the film does not spend enough time developing it. Instead, it keeps throwing new information at us and expects us to figure everything out.

The gangster drama, family story, romance and action could have worked together. Here, however, they often feel like separate pieces pushed into the same movie. Just when one part starts getting interesting, the film moves on to something else.

The dialogues are not much better. Many lines try to sound powerful or stylish, but they do not always tell us anything useful about the characters. There is plenty of attitude, but not enough emotion or depth behind it.

The 3-hour-14-minute runtime makes these problems harder to ignore. Some scenes feel rushed even though the movie is very long, while other parts drag on for too long. A tighter screenplay and a much sharper edit could have made a big difference.

Yash is easily the strongest part of Toxic. He has the screen presence to hold your attention even when the story starts becoming difficult to follow. Raya has the confidence of a powerful gangster, while Ticket has a rougher and more unpredictable side.

The dual role gives Yash something interesting to work with. He uses different body language and mannerisms for the two characters, which helps tell them apart. His action scenes also play directly to his strengths, and those are among the film’s more enjoyable moments.

The supporting cast does not get the same opportunity. Kiara Advani brings a calm presence, but her character is not developed enough. Nayanthara plays Ganga, but her relationship with Raya needed much more depth to create the emotional impact the film was clearly aiming for.

Rukmini Vasanth, Tara Sutaria and Huma Qureshi also have limited space to make their characters stand out. There are several good actors here, but the screenplay gives them too little to work with.

Geetu Mohandas has tried to make something different and ambitious. Unfortunately, the direction does not always keep the story under control. The film has plenty of ideas, but they often feel like they are competing with each other.

What works:

• The period setting gives the film a distinct identity.
• The father-son conflict adds a strong hook to the story.
• The darker tone suits the film’s violent gangster world.
• The unpredictable turns keep some parts of the plot interesting.

What Doesn't

• The character introductions feel rushed and unclear.
• The story threads do not always come together naturally.
• The family drama never gets enough emotional weight.
• The romantic angle feels forced at times.
• The adult scenes can feel unnecessary and out of place.
• The overall experience becomes exhausting despite the film’s ambitious setup.

This is one area where Toxic does a much better job. The cinematography gives the film a dark and stylish look, while the sets and production design create a large period world. Some shots genuinely look impressive and are clearly meant for the big screen.

The action also gets plenty of attention. The sequences are built around Yash’s image and give him room to deliver the kind of larger-than-life moments his fans expect. When the film focuses on action, it feels much more confident.

Ravi Basrur’s background score keeps the energy high throughout. It works during some of the big action moments, but the constant intensity can also become tiring. At times, it feels as if the movie is trying to make every scene feel huge, even when the scene does not need it.

The editing is more frustrating. The film already has a lot of characters and storylines to keep track of, so the rapid cuts often make things less clear. Instead of helping the story move smoothly, the editing sometimes adds to the confusion.

Toxic has the scale and ambition of a major gangster film, but the storytelling lets it down badly. There is a potentially strong story about family, revenge and betrayal somewhere inside it, but the film keeps burying those ideas under unnecessary noise.

Yash does his best to carry the movie, and the action and visuals have their moments. Still, his star power cannot fix a screenplay that feels this scattered.

If you are a big Yash fan, Toxic does give you his larger-than-life screen presence, action scenes and plenty of visual spectacle. Those moments may be enough to make the theatre experience worthwhile for his fans.

But if you want a clear gangster story with strong characters and tight storytelling, this is likely to be a frustrating watch. The film has plenty happening on screen, yet very little of it leaves the kind of impact it should.