Yash’s latest release Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups opened to mixed reactions from critics and moviegoers on August 26, which has impacted its box office collections in the following days. Amid the mixed response to the film, members of the Kannada film industry have rallied behind the actor.

In his tweet, Rishab Shetty expressed his gratitude to ‘The Rocking Star’ for placing the Kannada film industry on the global map. Rishab wrote, “As an artist, when you play a character, you try to bring it to life from the bottom of your heart. And here, I am truly impressed by the conviction with which the struggle of a powerful man has been portrayed. Maybe the plot and driving characters are not on the usual track on which most films travel, but that doesn’t mean the track is wrong. The effort that goes into telling a story, and the journey it takes from being a thought in the mind to becoming a film on screen, is humongous.”

The actor-filmmaker added that he could see and feel Yash’s dedication into bringing his character to life, and saluted his “experimentation.”

Story continues below this ad

Rishab further wrote, “@TheNameIsYash sir, hats off to the way you have surrendered yourself to a character and a world that demands a larger-than-life performance. I could clearly feel that in every single scene.It’s not easy to give the audience an experience of how guilt multiplies and increases the toxicity in life. I stand with you for attempting this daring experiment, sir. We love you for the love you have for taking Kannada cinema to the global stage. #ToxicTheMovie Best wishes to @GeetuMohandas and @TheKVNofficial (sic)”

Kichcha Sudeep also stood up for Yash and applauded his “guts” to attempt something like Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups. Sudeep posted on X, “Just want to say this, @TheNameIsYash — you’ve genuinely tried something out of the box rather than taking the predictable route of making another regular, expected, formulaic follow-up to your previous commercial blockbuster.It takes a different mindset, conviction, and most importantly, the guts to attempt something like this. #Toxic is an unusual and commendable attempt. There are several portions that are genuinely intriguing and open to great debate, discussion, and learning. Kudos to you for daring to experiment and step away from the conventional. Bestest wishes, my friend. L&H’s (sic)”

Upendra also joined the bandwagon, and commended the entire team of Yash’s Toxic. He wrote on X, “TOXIC IS A FAIRY TALE …. BUT GROWN-UPS ?? Watched Toxic. Wow! What a movie! A new world and an entirely new experience! The hard work, dedication, and passion of every artist and technician are truly commendable ! Hats off to Yash and the entire team! @thenameisyash @kvn.productions (sic)”

Toxic box office collection

Story continues below this ad

On Saturday, the Geetu Mohandas directorial collected Rs 24.50 crore net in India across 17,612 shows, according to trade tracker Sacnilk. With this, Toxic’s total India gross collection has touched Rs 227.50 crore, while its India net collection stands at Rs 190.45 crore. Its worldwide collection currently stands at Rs 254.75 crore. Toxic recorded an overall occupancy of 47.23% on Day 4 in its native (Kannada) version. Meanwhile, the film’s Hindi version recorded an overall occupancy of 26.19%. 

Spearheaded by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is a gangster drama led by Yash. It is set in the backdrop of the Portuguese-era Goa where Yash’s Raya finds himself deep within the criminal world, and his relationship with sister Ganga takes the centrestage. It features Yash in a dual role, and his complex relationships with the women in his life are also explored. Apart from the KGF actor, Toxic also features Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth, Huma Qureshi and Akshay Oberoi.