Kannada actor Jaidev Mohan, a close friend of Yash who was involved in the Kannada dubbing of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, shared how the actor responded to the film’s poor reception, saying the pain in his voice during their phone conversations after the release was evident.

Speaking to Prajavani, the actor revealed that he himself found the backlash difficult to process, despite his relatively small contribution to the project. He said he has not met Yash in person since the film released on August 26 but has spoken to him twice over the phone. “Yash said, ‘Don’t take it to your heart. It’s done, released. Now let’s leave it to the people. It’s their choice. We made this film with dedication and gave it to the audience. That’s it. You don’t dwell on it too much. Get ready, there’s more work. Got it? See you soon,'” Jaidev recalled, stressing that he was quoting Yash’s words exactly.

The response was measured and professional. But Jaidev said what stayed with him was not the words but the tone. “But you could feel the pain in his voice,” he said.

For Jaidev, the pain makes sense when you understand how long Yash lived with this film before anyone else saw it. “I have heard the story evolve from when it was just a seed. I’ve seen it evolve through various phases over the four and a half years until the final narration. Yash is the reason for that whole process. How hurt must he be,” Jaidev said.

Despite the emotional weight of the situation, Jaidev was clear that neither he nor Yash believes the audience can be blamed for not responding to the film the way the makers intended. “It’s okay. With grace, we need to accept it. At the end of the day, the audience is ultimate. If they like it, it’s good. If not, it is not,” he said.

He specifically rejected the argument, often used by filmmakers after a divisive release, that the audience “didn’t understand” the film. “We’ve made a good film and the audience didn’t understand, this theory is not ours. When we made the film for them, they will watch it if they like it. It’s okay,” Jaidev said.

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About the film

The film, directed by Geetu Mohandas and co-written by Yash, stars him in a dual role alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. It was produced by KVN Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations. The music is by Ravi Basrur and Vishal Mishra, with cinematography by Rajeev Ravi.