Yash‘s mother, Pushpa Arun Kumar, has hit back at producer Allu Aravind’s old remarks questioning her son’s stardom before KGF, in comments that have gone viral on social media amid the mixed reception to Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups.

Speaking passionately about her son’s journey, Pushpa made it clear she was not going to let the narrative stand unchallenged. “Yash is not some random terrorist. He was already a successful star in Karnataka before KGF and has delivered several hit films that proved his popularity,” she said. She questioned why people continue to ask who Yash was before KGF, pointing out that he had a decade-long career in Kannada cinema with commercially successful films like Googly, Drama, Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari, Gajakesari, and Santhu Straight Forward before KGF arrived in 2018.

Pushpa also highlighted her son’s humble origins, emphasising that he entered the film industry without money, family connections or a film background. His father, Arun Kumar, was a KSRTC bus driver. His mother was a homemaker. Nobody in the family had any connection to cinema. Yash built his career from scratch through television work and then a string of Kannada films before KGF turned him into a pan-India name.

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“Some are intentionally trying to suppress my son’s career and spreading propaganda against Toxic,” she said, expressing distress at what she sees as a coordinated effort to undermine Yash’s standing. She added that as long as he has the audience’s love and support, no one can hinder his growth.

What did Allu Aravind say?

The original comments were made by Aravind a few years ago at a promotional event. When asked why his production house Geetha Arts had shifted from big-budget films to smaller projects, Aravind cited rising production costs. When the conversation turned to whether star remunerations were driving budgets up, with his own son Allu Arjun cited as an example, Aravind disagreed and pointed to Yash instead. “Who was Yash before KGF?” Aravind asked, arguing that it was not Yash’s stardom but the film’s grand scale, making and visual spectacle that turned KGF into a blockbuster. His implication was that any actor placed inside a production of that scale could have achieved a similar result.

However, Yash himself addressed Aravind’s remarks during his Toxic promotional interviews. During Aap Ki Adalat, the anchor asked the actor, “Who was Yash before KGF? A producer makes a film, and an actor gains advantage by starring in it.” Yash replied, “It is true. But I also believe that cinema doesn’t just belong to a producer.” He said.

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“So many people work in cinema, but only the actor gets credit. Be it a character artiste or a writer, everyone works hard in cinema, but if an actor is not able to carry it, the film will not work,” he said, adding, “I feel the audience is right; sometimes I wonder why the actor wins all the love. And I truly believe that the audience is never wrong. They respect everyone and are aware of who deserves to earn more respect.”

Allu Aravind’s remark angered Yash’s fan base at the time and has periodically resurfaced on social media, particularly during moments when Yash’s career is under scrutiny. With Toxic receiving largely negative reviews and its box office performance falling short of KGF-level expectations, the old clip has been shared widely again over the past few days.