Toxic Review: Yash Shines, But Film Falls Short of KGF

Yash leads a stylish gangster drama that impresses with performances and visuals but struggles with its screenplay

Rocking Star Yash returns to the screen with Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-ups. This is his awaited return after the huge success of KGF: Chapter 2. The film came out four years later. Directed by Geetu Mohandas the movie tries to build a stylish and larger-than-life gangster world. This world is mostly set in 1940s Goa. The movie was made with a budget of more, than Rs 500 crore. Toxic comes with high hopes. The film has the size of a -India movie.. Even though it does a good job of making a visually impressive world the story of Toxic does not always match the big dreams of the way the movie looks.

A Dark and Unusual Gangster Story

The story focuses on Raya, played by Yash and his older sister Ganga played by Nayanthara. The brother and sister get involved with a criminal organization that deals with the opium trade. Their lives are dominated by Salvador, a person in the criminal world. Raya is not shown as a gangster. He is angry hard to predict and affected by his past. The way Raya connects with people around him is influenced by power, trust, deception and his own complicated view of love. The movie also shows Rayas connections, with women, including Rebecca, Nadia and Mellisa. These characters are not just there to support the character. They have their strength and help move the story forward.

Yash Remains the Biggest Attraction

The strength of the film Toxic is clearly Yash. Yash has a screen presence and the film tries very hard to show Raya as a larger-than-life character. From the background music, to the production design almost every major scene is made to boost Yashs swagger and attitude. Yashs portrayal of Raya is intense morally complicated and unpredictable. The actor also plays two roles playing Raya and his son Ticket. Yash handles both characters with confidence. Gives each one distinct shades. Yashs performance keeps the film engaging even when the screenplay starts to lose momentum.

Great Acting From the Women in the Cast

The women in the cast are a part of why Toxic works so well. Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi and Rukmini Vasanth all do a job with their acting. Nayanthara plays Ganga and Ganga has an emotional bond with Raya. Kiara Advani plays Nadia and Nadia adds a side to his messy life. Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth also make sure people notice them. Huma Qureshi plays a character that feels very different from the rest. Huma Qureshi helps make the tension feel real. The acting is good because these female characters have their reasons, for what they do. These female characters actually change the story of just standing around the main man.

Style Over Substance?

Where Toxic is weak is in its story and screenplay. The basic idea of siblings trying to survive and find their place in a criminal world is a common theme in gangster films. The film mixes ideas, about family, power, masculinity, desire, betrayal and redemption. However these ideas do not always fit together smoothly. I think some parts of Toxic are interesting. Many action scenes feel too long. The long 194 minutes also cause the pacing to suffer, especially when the story starts repeating the patterns. I feel this style gives Toxic an identity but it may not suit every viewer.

Geetu Mohandas Creates a Lavish Visual World

Director Geetu Mohandas deserves credit for attempting something. Than making a conventional gangster film, Geetu Mohandas presents Toxic as a stylised cinematic experience. The massive sets, costumes, production design and striking cinematography give Toxic a grand visual scale. There are influences from films and spectacles such as Moulin Rouge, Joker and The Revenant while the presentation also carries the larger-, than-life energy associated with KGF. However the visual ambition of Toxic occasionally overshadows the storytelling of Toxic. The makers have clearly invested heavily in creating a world of a pan-India superstar but the screenplay of Toxic needed greater cohesion.

Music, Cinematography and Editing

I think Toxic is one of the parts of the film. Ravi Basrurs music and background score make the action feel more intense and lift Yashs moments. Rajeev Ravis cinematography gives the film a visual style and fits the period setting well. I feel the editing by Ujwal Kulkarni could have been tighter. At 194 minutes the film would have liked some cuts and smoother transitions, between scenes.

Final Verdict

Toxic is a gangster drama that tries to mix big star power with a darker and more experimental way of telling a story. Yash has a presence on screen the female actors deliver powerful performances and the set design, music and camera work are among Toxics best qualities. Still the script does not always match the scale of the film. Although Toxic reminds me of KGF Toxic does not have the level of story power or smoothness. In short Toxic is a striking experiment that offers a lot of spectacle but the long run time and uneven script stop Toxic, from becoming the Hollywood‑style gangster epic that Toxic wants to be.