The promotional material for Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has faced backlash for how the sex scenes were shot. However, on the sidelines of CinemaCon, lead actor and producer Yash insisted that director Geetu Mohandas brought a ‘female gaze’ to the action film. He also spoke about what was different about working with her vs male directors.
Yash on Geetu Mohandas’ ‘female gaze’ for Toxic
American content creator and host Sabeen Faheem interacted with Yash at CinemaCon recently. In the video of the interaction posted on Instagram, she remarked that it’s rare in India to see a woman director like Geetu helming an action film like Toxic. Yash agreed with her, saying, “That’s the most exciting part. So what happens is that when you generally say action films, it’s only restricted to male directors. That’s been historically (true) in India. A lot of people have done that. A large-scale action film, that too a gangster film with a female gaze, is something which is very new and refreshing.”
The actor then added that Geetu showed romance and sensuality in Toxic in a way that no one else would. “Thoughts are very clear, and she has a strong conviction in whatever she does. And she’s a fabulous writer. I could learn so much, you know. The desire quotient or certain emotions, romance or sensuality, how a female can show, a woman can present is entirely different is what I’ve realised in this journey,” he said.
The much-debated sensual scenes of Toxic
Right from the get-go, Geetu has not been shy about showing sensuality in Toxic. In a ‘birthday peek’ that was released in January 2025, Yash enters a casino with women dancing in glittery costumes and fishnet stockings. A portion of the video also shows a woman straddling him as he pours liquor on her.
While this did not ruffle feathers, the sensual scenes in the Introducing Raya video released this year seemed a bit too much. The particulars of a graphic scene involving a bomb, a car and a cemetary came under scrutiny, with many on the internet criticising it. The National Christian Federation also lodged a formal complaint over ‘hurt sentiments’.
After considerable backlash, Geetu addressed it with a cryptic post on her Instagram that read, “Chilling while people figure out female pleasure, consent, women playing systems, etc etc.” Toxic was supposed to be released on March 19 in a clash with Dhurandhar: The Revenge, but was postponed amid the West Asia conflict. It will now be released on June 4.