Toxic Pre-Release Event: Yash, Geetu Mohandas and team open up about the magnum opus

The grand pre-release event of Toxic: The Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups was held in Chennai, with the cast and crew sharing their experiences, expectations and excitement ahead of the film’s worldwide release.

Lyricist Vignesh Shivan expressed his happiness about being part of the project and praised Yash, whom he described as an icon he greatly admires. He revealed that he initially got the opportunity to write one song for the film, which eventually grew into three songs. Vignesh also expressed confidence that Toxic will take Yash’s popularity to a global level. He further praised director Geetu Mohandas for having the courage to create a film of this scale and thanked producer Venkat for remaining strong during difficult circumstances surrounding Jana Nayagan.

Actress Rukmini Vasanth called Toxic a very special film in her career. Speaking about Yash, she said her journey from being his fan to becoming his co-star has been particularly meaningful. She also praised Geetu Mohandas for her vision and thanked the Tamil audience for the love and support extended to the team.

Huma Qureshi, who has spent nearly three years working on the project, described Toxic as an important part of her life. She revealed that Geetu Mohandas initially shared very little about her character and simply asked her to trust the vision. Huma said the director delivered on that promise and praised KVN Productions for shaping the film despite its many challenges. She also highlighted the dedication of Kiara Advani, who continued working on the film during her pregnancy, and called Yash the only “Rocking Star,” expressing confidence in his ability to take Indian cinema to a global level.

For Kiara Advani, the Chennai event marked her first visit to the city. She thanked the audience for the warm reception and acknowledged the contribution of the film’s cinematographer, music director and various technical departments. Kiara also praised Nayanthara and her co-stars, while calling Geetu Mohandas the driving force behind the project. She expressed confidence that Indian cinema would remember Geetu’s name and said Yash would take the industry to a global level with Toxic.

Director Geetu Mohandas looked back at her long journey in cinema and explained how Yash’s belief in her became a major turning point. According to the filmmaker, several people had doubted whether she could continue after her previous films, but Yash encouraged her to take on Toxic. She revealed that he introduced her to several mass and commercial films, including Padayappa, as references while developing the project. Geetu described Toxic as “Yash 2.0”, suggesting that audiences will see a different side of the star.

Producer Venkat KVN thanked the fans of Thalapathy Vijay for standing by him during difficult times and expressed his gratitude for the success of Jana Nayagan. He also made an emotional request to Vijay to return to the big screen, saying that cinema feels empty without him. Turning his attention to Toxic, Venkat called it a path-breaking film and praised Geetu’s execution. He also highlighted the screen presence of Nayanthara and the performances of Kiara Advani, Rukmini Vasanth, Huma Qureshi and the rest of the cast.

Yash, meanwhile, thanked the Tamil audience for the love they have shown him since KGF. He recalled the warm reception he received in Tamil Nadu and praised the audience for their unconditional support towards cinema. Addressing the difficult experience surrounding the leak of Jana Nayagan, he acknowledged the support extended to its producer and Vijay. Describing Toxic as a film driven by passion and emotions, Yash said it presents a completely different world and promised audiences a special cinematic experience.

He also stressed that cinema should not be restricted by language or region. According to Yash, Indian cinema encompasses Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and every other film industry, with Toxic aiming to be part of that larger cinematic identity.

With the team expressing strong confidence in Geetu Mohandas’ vision and Yash’s performance, Toxic is now gearing up for its grand worldwide theatrical release on August 26.