Toxic
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Geetu Mohandas
Written by Yash
Geetu Mohandas
Story by Geetu Mohandas
Produced by Venkat K. Narayana
Yash
Starring
  • Yash
  • Nayanthara
  • Kiara Advani
  • Huma Qureshi
  • Tara Sutaria
  • Rukmini Vasanth
Cinematography Rajeev Ravi
Edited by Ujwal Kulkarni
Music by Songs:
Vishal Mishra
Tanishk Bagchi
Faheem Abdullah
Arslan Nizami
Score:
Ravi Basrur
Production
companies
KVN Productions
Monster Mind Creations
Distributed by see below
Release date
  • 26 August 2026 (2026-08-26)
Country India
Languages Kannada
English
Budget ₹1400–1900 crore[1]

Toxic (subtitled A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups) is an upcoming Indian period gangster film directed by Geetu Mohandas and jointly produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash through KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations respectively. It stars Yash in a dual role, alongside Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. Toxic is budgeted at ₹850–1000 crore, set to be most expensive Indian movie ever made.[1]

The film was officially announced in December 2023 under the tentative title Yash 19, as it is the 19th film of Yash as a leading actor, with the official title revealed a few days later. The film was simultaneously shot in Kannada and English.[2] Principal photography took place from August 2024 to October 2025 across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa, Thoothukudi and Jaipur.

Toxic is scheduled to release worldwide on 26 August 2026.[3]

Cast

  • Yash in a dual role as
    • Raya
    • Ticket
  • Nayanthara as Ganga
  • Kiara Advani as Nadia
  • Huma Qureshi as Elizabeth
  • Tara Sutaria as Rebecca
  • Rukmini Vasanth as Mellisa
  • Akshay Oberoi as Tony
  • Darrell D'Silva as Salvador
  • Sudev Nair as Karmadi
  • Balaji Manohar as Bheera
  • Kyle Paul
  • Beatriz Taufenbach
  • Surjith Gopinath
  • Amit Tiwari
  • Benedict Garrett
  • Tetiana Gaidar

Production

Development

In April 2023, it was reported that Yash would collaborate with director Geetu Mohandas for his next project after the KGF film franchise (2018–present).[4] Tentatively titled Yash 19, the production was reported to begin after Geetu finalised it as her next directorial venture.[5] Sources claimed that Yash and Geetu had signed the project and that production would begin in June 2023.[6] In late September 2023, Hollywood action choreographer J. J. Perry posted a photograph on Instagram with himself and Yash, hinting at a possible collaboration.[7] Shortly thereafter, Yash reportedly spent a day at music composer Charan Raj's studio, further suggesting a potential association with the project.[8] Finally on 8 December 2023, KVN Productions and Yash's production house, Monster Mind Creations, officially announced the film along with the title.[9][10]

In January 2024, cinematographer Rajeev Ravi was announced as part of the film's technical crew.[11] In January 2025, Geetu stated that Yash was also part of the film's writing team.[12]

Casting

The film's primary cast — Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth

Yash plays as the main lead in a dual role.[13] Kiara Advani joined the film in April 2024, as the female lead alongside Yash, thus also marking her Kannada debut.[14] Huma Qureshi joined the cast in June 2024 for a key negative role.[15] Tovino Thomas reportedly joined the cast in July 2024, as the main antagonist.[16] In August 2024, Akshay Oberoi and Tara Sutaria joined the cast.[17][18] In January 2025, Oberoi confirmed that Nayanthara joined the cast for a key role.[19] Sudev Nair joined the cast in April 2025[20] while Rukmini Vasanth joined the cast in August 2025 following the completion of Kantara: Chapter 1.[21]

Various foreign actors like Darrell D'Silva,[22] Kyle Paul,[23] and Beatriz Taufenbach[24] will feature in the film.

Filming

Principal photography commenced in August 2024 in Bengaluru along with the pooja ceremony.[25][26] As part of the production process, the film utilised previsualization to plan stunt sequences and ensure safety.[11] A major portion of the shoot began in September 2024 at a large-scale 20-acre set near Bengaluru, recreating the period from the 1940s to the 1970s. The production involved an extensive team of over 1,000 crew members and 450 actors, including foreign extras.[27][28] In October 2024, some sequences were filmed in the forest areas of Peenya in Bengaluru.[29] Later, an FIR was filed against the producer for allegedly cutting trees in the forest area without permission.[30] In November 2025, sequences featuring Advani were shot in Mumbai.[31] A dance sequence featuring Yash and Advani was choreographed by Ganesh Acharya in January 2025 in Goa.[32] In February 2025, Yash alongside with Advani, Nayanthara, Qureshi and Sutaria shot several sequences in Bengaluru.[33] In June 2025, the film's remaining shoot was shifted to Mumbai from Bengaluru so as to facilitate Advani's pregnancy.[34] In September 2025, a massive 45 day shoot featuring many action sequences choreographed by J. J. Perry was completed in Mumbai.[35][36] In October 2025, the final schedule was filmed in Bengaluru.[37]

Additionally shooting also took place in Thoothukudi, where an action sequence was filmed, while a special song sequence was also shot in Jaipur.[38]

Music

The film's soundtrack album was composed by Ravi Basrur, with additional work by Vishal Mishra, Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, and Arslan Nizami.[39] Basrur also composed the background score of the film.[40] Earlier, Jeremy Stack was announced as the composer for the film, but later he was quietly removed from the project.[41] Ravi Basrur was confirmed as the new composer, marking his third collaboration with Yash after the KGF film franchise.[42] Vishal Mishra, Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, and Arslan Nizami later joined the project as additional music composers. Anirudh Ravichander was also announced as the composer but due to date issues, he opted out of the project.[43][39] The music rights were acquired by Zee Music Company.[44]

The first single titled "Tabaahi" was released on 2 March 2026.[45]

Track listing
No. Title Lyrics Music Singer(s) Length
1. "Tabaahi" Yogaraj Bhat Vishal Mishra Vishal Mishra 4:18

Marketing

The film's announcement video alongside the title was revealed on 8 December 2023.[46] A short glimpse titled "Birthday Peek" was released on 8 January 2025, coinciding with Yash's 39th birthday.[47] The glimpse of Yash's character Raya was unveiled on 8 January 2026, coinciding with his 40th birthday.[48] It generated instant global traction, amassing over 200 million views and 5.5 million likes within 24 hours across platforms.[49] The official teaser was revealed on 20 February 2026.[50] A promotional teaser titled "Ladies & Ladies" was released on 1 July 2026.[51]

Release

Theatrical

Toxic is scheduled to release worldwide on 26 August 2026, coinciding with Onam.[52][53] Apart from the film's original Kannada and English languages, it will also be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.[54]

Originally, it was scheduled for release on 10 April 2025 but was eventually postponed due to delayed shooting and production issues.[55][56] Then, it was announced for release on 19 March 2026, clashing with the Hindi film Dhurandhar: The Revenge,[57][58] however it was again postponed due to the ongoing crisis in Middle East Countries.[59] Later, it was announced for release on 4 June 2026,[60] but was postponed again due to alignments for a better global distribution.[61]

Distribution

Sri Venkateswara Film Distributors acquired the distribution rights in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for ₹120 crore (US$13 million).[62] The distribution rights for North India and Nepal were acquired by AA Films.[63] The overseas distribution rights for the Indian-language versions were acquired by Phars Film for ₹105 crore (US$11 million).[64] E4 Entertainment acquired the distribution rights across Kerala.[65] The distribution rights across Tamil Nadu were acquired by Think Studios, S Picture, Trident Arts and Five Star Senthil for ₹63 crore (US$6.6 million).[66]

Controversy

Following the release of teaser, the Women's wing of Aam Aadmi Party submitted a complaint to the Karnataka State Commission for Women as they had objections with the obscene visuals featured in the teaser.[67] In February 2026, another formal complaint was lodged to the CBFC by the National Christian Federation where they alleged that the film's teaser depicts obscene scenes and also hurts religious sentiments by including a statue of Archangel Michael in the fight sequence inside the cemetery.[68][69]

References

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