Actor and filmmaker Vignesh Shivan had the audience in splits at the Chennai pre-release event of Yash-led Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups as he poked fun at his own box-office setback. The event was attended by the entire team of the film and saw huge support from the fans. The filmmaker recalled meeting Kiara Advani years ago to narrate a script and jokingly told her she was lucky to have turned it down.
[Also read: ₹100-crore start”>Toxic review and release live updates: Yash returns with a bang in revenge saga, packed houses signal a ₹100-crore start]
Vignesh Shivan’s hilarious self-dig
At the event, Vignesh Shivan recalled meeting Kiara Advani years ago, before Kabir Singh, to narrate a story that later became Love Insurance Kompany. Looking back, he joked that Kiara may have made the right call by turning down the film. Vignesh said, “Kiara, I remember you. Before Kabir Singh, I met Kiara to narrate a story. I made that film now. It’s called Love Insurance Kompany. You are lucky. You didn’t do it.”
Kiara, who was seated in the audience, seemed to remember the meeting and laughed along with Vignesh. It also left the audience in splits.
Vignesh Shivan calls Yash an inspiration
Vignesh also had plenty of praise for Yash. Calling him someone he has always admired, the filmmaker said getting the chance to work with the actor and spend time with him was an experience he would always remember. “In life, there are certain people who become role models for us, icons. We look up to some people, get inspired and want to do a lot of things. Yash sir is one such icon,” he said.
Vignesh also spoke about working on several songs for the film, saying it gave him more chances to spend time with Yash and get to know him better. He said, “My only thought was, ‘Okay, at least I get one day to be next to him.’ I was so lucky. Then I got one more song, and one more song. As it kept happening, I got so much time to be around him and spend time with him. I can never forget that. Thank you so much for being so kind, sir.”
About Love Insurance Kompany
Love Insurance Kompany, featuring Pradeep Ranganathan and Krithi Shetty, hit theatres in April 2026. Made on a reported budget of around ₹90 crore, the sci-fi romantic comedy struggled to recover its investment, earning around ₹58 crore to ₹66.47 crore worldwide, according to reports.
Set in 2040, the film imagined a world where technology had become deeply involved in matters of love and relationships. The story followed a man who goes up against a high-tech dating platform that claims it can determine whether a couple is truly compatible. Although the film received a better response from some viewers after its OTT release, it could not find the same traction during its theatrical run.
All about Toxic
Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups brings Yash back to the big screen after a four-year break. The film also stars Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi and Rukmini Vasanth in key roles.