Toxic (2026 film)
Upcoming Indian film by Geetu Mohandas
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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 Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. Toxic is budgeted at ₹500–1,000 crore, set to be most expensive Indian movie ever made.[1]
Geetu Mohandas
Yash
| Toxic | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Geetu Mohandas |
| Written by | Yash Geetu Mohandas |
| Story by | Geetu Mohandas |
| Produced by | Venkat K. Narayana Yash |
| Starring | |
| 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 |
|
| Country | India |
| Languages | Kannada English |
| Budget | ₹500–1,000 crore[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
- Rumi alias "Ticket"
- Kiara Advani as Nadia
- Nayanthara as Ganga
- 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
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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 was rumoured to join the cast as the main antagonist in July 2024.[16] However, later he clarified that he was not part of the film.[17] In August 2024, Akshay Oberoi and Tara Sutaria joined the cast.[18][19] In January 2025, Oberoi confirmed that Nayanthara joined the cast for a key role.[20] Sudev Nair joined the cast in April 2025[21] while Rukmini Vasanth joined the cast in August 2025 following the completion of Kantara: Chapter 1.[22]
Various foreign actors like Darrell D'Silva,[23] Kyle Paul,[24] and Beatriz Taufenbach[25] will feature in the film.
Filming
Principal photography commenced in August 2024 in Bengaluru along with the pooja ceremony.[26][27] 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.[28][29] In October 2024, some sequences were filmed in the forest areas of Peenya in Bengaluru.[30] Later, an FIR was filed against the producer for allegedly cutting trees in the forest area without permission.[31] In November 2025, sequences featuring Advani were shot in Mumbai.[32] A dance sequence featuring Yash and Advani was choreographed by Ganesh Acharya in January 2025 in Goa.[33] In February 2025, Yash alongside with Advani, Nayanthara, Qureshi and Sutaria shot several sequences in Bengaluru.[34] In June 2025, the film's remaining shoot was shifted to Mumbai from Bengaluru so as to facilitate Advani's pregnancy.[35] In September 2025, a massive 45 day shoot featuring many action sequences choreographed by J. J. Perry was completed in Mumbai.[36][37] In October 2025, the final schedule was filmed in Bengaluru.[38]
Additionally shooting also took place in Thoothukudi, where an action sequence was filmed, while a special song sequence was also shot in Jaipur.[39]
Music
The film's soundtrack album was composed by Ravi Basrur, with additional work by Vishal Mishra, Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, and Arslan Nizami.[40] Basrur also composed the background score of the film.[41] Earlier, Jeremy Stack was announced as the composer for the film, but later he was quietly removed from the project.[42] Ravi Basrur was confirmed as the new composer, marking his third collaboration with Yash after the KGF film franchise.[43] 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.[44][40] The music rights were acquired by Zee Music Company.[45]
The first single titled "Tabaahi" was released on 2 March 2026 in audio format.[46] The full video of the song was released on 8 July 2026.[47]
| 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.[48] A short glimpse titled "Birthday Peek" was released on 8 January 2025, coinciding with Yash's 39th birthday.[49] The glimpse of Yash's character Raya was unveiled on 8 January 2026, coinciding with his 40th birthday.[50] It generated instant global traction, amassing over 200 million views and 5.5 million likes within 24 hours across platforms.[51] The official teaser was revealed on 20 February 2026.[52] A promotional teaser titled "Ladies & Ladies" was released on 1 July 2026.[53]
Release
Theatrical
Toxic is scheduled to release worldwide on 26 August 2026, coinciding with Onam.[54][55] Apart from the film's original Kannada and English languages, it will also be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.[56]
Originally, it was scheduled for release on 10 April 2025 but was eventually postponed due to delayed shooting and production issues.[57][58] Then, it was announced for release on 19 March 2026, clashing with the Hindi film Dhurandhar: The Revenge,[59][60] however it was again postponed due to the ongoing crisis in Middle East Countries.[61] Later, it was announced for release on 4 June 2026,[62] but was postponed again due to alignments for a better global distribution.[63]
Distribution
Sri Venkateswara Film Distributors acquired the distribution rights in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for ₹120 crore (US$13 million).[64] The distribution rights for North India and Nepal were acquired by AA Films.[65] The overseas distribution rights for the Indian-language versions were acquired by Phars Film for ₹105 crore (US$11 million).[66] E4 Entertainment acquired the distribution rights across Kerala.[67] 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).[68]
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.[69] 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.[70][71]