Name: Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, Akshay Oberoi, Sudev Nair
Writer: Geetu Mohandas, Yash
Rating: 2/5
Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is a period action thriller starring Yash in the lead role, joined by actresses like Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria, and more. Directed by Geetu Mohandas, the film has hit the big screens after several delays.
If you’re planning to watch the film in theaters this week, here’s the Pinkvilla review for you to check out.
The Plot
Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is spread across five decades, extending into the post-independence era of Goa after the Portuguese era, where violence and jealousy reign. Amid this, Raya, an outlaw, along with his older sister Ganga, is hell-bent on gaining power, establishing and taking over the empire their father created and rising through all levels of the trade.
In his rise through fear, grit, and battle, Raya’s personal life and chaotic habits lead him to engage with multiple women, including a circus acrobat named Nadia, the mother of his child, Rumi. However, Raya’s life, actions, and the mania he creates eventually become his own undoing when the son he abandoned returns as Ticket to settle the scores once and for all.
What works in Toxic
Cutting it short, Toxic is a technically savvy and luscious film when it comes to visuals and grandeur. The production has in no way held back in providing the absolute best with its portrayal of a stylized period setting, awash in slick suits, fedoras, and lavish speakeasies. The style is similar to 1920s Chicago, but within a fanciful façade of an Indian context. The movie is a visual spectacle, with character introductions and certain character arcs standing out impressively.
Moreover, the film offers a wide variety of action sequences, taking on the same aesthetic with its long list of breakneck action. With the film bowing to tropes in the world of hero worship and machismo, despite occasional attempts to subvert these expectations, the larger set pieces once again feel like a justification of an “Alpha Male” characters. This archetype is saturated to a great extent at this point and, honestly, feels boring.
Watch the trailer here:
Toxic is simply a huge mess, a product of a weak screenplay coupled with lazy execution. It is difficult to comprehend that this was made by the same person who made Moothon.
In an attempt to be bold, experimental, and visually grand, the film forgets the core of what makes a movie entertaining: the emotions. The lack of balance in handling emotions makes it overbearing, becoming loud and ultimately misfiring at several points.
While the female gaze is used for the visuals, the movie feels fresh in its presentation, especially considering it is an Indian film. In this sense, the movie does offer several female characters who are brilliantly rounded and chaotic within the narrative. But in the end, the whole show falls apart like a house of cards trying to be built on a roller coaster.
Be it the initial half, the interval block, or the final 20 minutes of the movie, Toxic, true to its name, turns into a challenge of surviving toxicity for the viewers. The film fails to register beyond its action-packed world, trying to become a bootleg version of KGF but failing to recognise Prashanth Neel’s directorial nuances.
Even Ravi Basrur’s music, which seems to have been borrowed from classic Hollywood and Hong Kong films, doesn’t catalyze to keep viewers hooked to the screen.
The Performances
Toxic is somewhat bearable to a certain extent because of the main man, Yash. The Rocking Star, similar to his pre-KGF days, has managed to create entertainers that make him charming and charismatic. This quality in the actor and his performances remains true even today. Even though we may never see the chocolate boy like the one we saw in Googly, Yash still becomes the torchbearer of this film’s narrative, making it watchable.
Moreover, the leading ladies, especially Kiara Advani, walk the tightrope with their emotions, carrying the essence of mania while keeping the character arc brisk. Nayanthara, as the steely elder sister, remains at the top of the narrative, becoming an integral part of Raya’s endeavours. Similarly, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, and Rukmini Vasanth hold their own without letting go of their abilities.
The Verdict
With a runtime of more than three hours, Toxic is a test of patience, virtue, and serenity. As one walks out of the noise, a person realizes that the pain in their lives is not as troubling as what the movie does to their senses.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of Pinkvilla. No statement in this article is intended to defame, harm, or malign any individual or entity.
