Kannada star Yash’s Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups was one of the most anticipated films of the year. However, upon release, the film failed to strike a chord with audiences and underperformed at the box office. In a recent chat with Kadak on YouTube, Akshay Oberoi, who was also part of the film, reacted to reports suggesting that Yash’s alleged interference in the filmmaking contributed to its underperformance.
Akshay Oberoi talks about Toxic’s failure
When asked what he thought went wrong with the film, Akshay said it was difficult to analyse. He said the film aimed to offer something new and was made on an international scale, but ultimately “missed our target”. Akshay added that he would not blame anyone for its shortcomings and remained proud of the film. He also said the film’s results were beyond their control.
Akshay dismissed reports that Yash had become too involved in the filmmaking of Toxic and had changed certain scenes, which allegedly contributed to the film’s failure. He said, “In my experience, I didn’t see anything like that. People who have purchased the tickets to watch the film have a right to express their opinion and perform a postmortem of the film. It is people’s personal social media accounts, and they get to write anything they want. However, I was present on set and I know I was directed by one person, Geethu Mohandas. I genuinely hope that I get to work with her again.”
Praising Yash, Akshay said, “He is a different being altogether. I don’t know how to explain him as a person to anybody. I was already a Yash fan. His aura is completely different. And when I got to work with him, I got so influenced. He is a one-man show. He single-handedly turned a Kannada film into a pan-India phenomenon. With Toxic, he wanted to take Kannada cinema to an international level. It didn’t work, however. But at least he attempted. He was ambitious. He doesn’t wait for anyone; he just believes in himself.”
About Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups
Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups marked Yash’s return to the big screen after the blockbuster success of KGF: Chapter 2. Directed by Geetu Mohandas, the period action-crime drama also starred Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi and Rukmini Vasanth. Yash played dual roles and also co-wrote the film with Geetu.
Despite enormous expectations, Toxic struggled to sustain its momentum after a strong opening. The film crossed ₹100 crore worldwide on its opening day, but its collections dropped sharply from the second day onwards. It eventually collected ₹341.52 crore worldwide and ₹249.49 crore net in India. The film received a mixed-to-negative response, with some critics praising its ambition and visual style while criticising its execution and storytelling.
