Toxic: Yash's swag is not enough for a 194-minute long film that totally tests your patience
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It was pure rage bait. The buildup to Toxic : A Fairytale for Grown Ups’ rollout over the past few months has been tumultuous. First came the postponement, which sparked plenty of chatter. Then came the teaser and promotional assets, which made it seem as though the movie was going to shatter every conceivable on-screen record for misogyny and vulgarity. The final product, however, is nowhere near. For a project mounted on such a massive scale, the makers got exactly what they wanted: attention.
Adding to this, Still from Toxic. So, what exactly has Yash cooked up with his magnum opus? Let’s find out.
Meanwhile, Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic, set in yesteryear Goa, bears her signature storytelling stamp. Much like her previous works Liars Dice and Moothon, the movie revolves around identity and the quest to find oneself. Raya (Yash) has had a troubled childhood, with his sister Ganga ( Nayanthara ) being his only constant source of support. She wants him to rule the city, and his first step towards that goal is joining a gang of goons. It is here that he meets Rebecca (Tara Sutaria), the kingpin’s sister. After a whirlwind affair, Raya meets Nadia (Kiara Advani), the star performer at a travelling circus. The two fall in love, and Nadia soon becomes pregnant with Raya’s child. But Rebecca is unwilling to let him go. Complicating matters further is Elizabeth (Huma Qureshi), the kingpin’s girlfriend, who is out for revenge against Raya following a personal loss.
Notably, It is Raya’s complicated personal and professional journey, and his attempt to find himself amid love and violence that forms the crux of Toxic.
As per the latest buzz, With a runtime of 194 minutes, roughly three and a half hours, Toxic takes far too long to say what it wants to. The first half, in particular, takes its time building momentum, and that slow-burn approach can test one's patience. Yash, as Raya, is eccentric and elusive, never giving anyone a straight answer and rarely allowing a conversation to remain straightforward. Almost everything is turned into a dialogue or a dramatic beat. Raya repeatedly justifies his actions by saying lines like "Meri mother tongue hi violence hai, universal language" Or "Morality se allergy hai mujhe".
In further updates, That kind of filminess can work when the material demands spectacle at every turn, but Toxic, with its emphasis on the psyche of its central character and his internal journey, often feels like it would have benefited from greater restraint. The movie repeatedly announces its own cinematic importance instead of simply allowing its moments to land.
On top of that, The second half brings with it a much-needed surge in pace, but also a hurriedness that feels at odds with what Toxic conditions you for in its first half. After spending so much time establishing its world and delving into Raya's psyche, the movie suddenly begins racing towards its conclusion. At times, it almost feels like an extension of Ranbir Kapoor 's 2023 movie Animal, another movie built around a complicated father-son relationship and deeply rooted in unresolved daddy issues. Toxic loses its grip on the material as it heads towards the climax, where the storytelling becomes erratic and the emotional payoff doesn't match the buildup.
The cinematography by Rajeev Ravi, however, is impressive. Grand and slick, it gives Toxic a visual scale.
Source: Hindustan Times