Yash fans gathered at theatres in Bidar and Chikkaballapur as Toxic opened worldwide with early screenings and fan shows
Yash’s Toxic opened worldwide on Wednesday, with fans in Bidar and Chikkaballapur celebrating early screenings and fan shows through cutouts, crackers, cheering and food distribution.
Bengaluru: Rocking Star Yash’s much-awaited film Toxic opened in theatres worldwide on Wednesday, August 26, drawing strong fan celebrations in Karnataka. In Bidar, the first screening began at 6:45 am at Swapna Multiplex, where Yash’s fans gathered in queues to watch the film.
Large cutouts of Yash’s character Rocky Bhai were placed outside the cinema as fans marked the release by bursting crackers and dancing. The celebrations came after fans had waited for four years to see the actor return to the silver screen.
The release also triggered celebrations in Chikkaballapur, where Yash fans gathered at Balaji Cinema for a special fan show. Large cutouts were installed outside the theatre, while fans burst crackers, cheered and celebrated the film’s arrival.
A food distribution ceremony was also organised for fans following the fan show in Chikkaballapur.
Toxic Release Draws Mixed First Reactions
Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups opened in theatres amid considerable anticipation following four years of work with director Geetu Mohandas. Early reactions shared on X have indicated a divided response to the film.
Yash’s screen presence, the visual scale and several action sequences have received appreciation from some viewers. At the same time, the writing, pacing, emotional connect and certain intimate scenes have faced criticism in early audience reactions.
Toxic is a period action thriller set in post-Independence Goa against the backdrop of a fading colonial order and the rise of a violent crime syndicate. The story follows a gangster who builds an empire through blood, fear and betrayal as competing smuggling routes become contested territory and loyalties begin to fracture.
Yash plays a dual role in the film. He portrays Raya, an older gangster patriarch, as well as Rumi, nicknamed Ticket, his estranged son who seeks revenge after being abandoned.
Audience Reactions Focus on Yash and Technical Aspects
Some of the earliest reactions to Toxic have particularly highlighted Yash’s performance and the film’s technical presentation. One viewer described Yash’s performance and the cinematography as the film’s “only major positives” and also praised the scale of the fight sequences.
The same review criticised the story and screenplay, describing them as “a complete disaster” and arguing that the character introductions and emotional scenes lacked impact. The viewer also criticised the intimate scenes as forced and described the performances of the female actors as “CRINGE PRO MAX”.
The review further criticised the songs and background score before rating the film 2/5. The viewer nevertheless described Toxic as “a bold and different attempt” while arguing that “style without substance” affected the overall experience.
Another viewer also identified Yash’s performance, the stunt sequences and the rich visuals among the film’s positives. However, the nearly three-hour runtime was cited as a drawback.
The same post criticised the character sketches, intimate scenes, random sequences, dialogues and lack of emotional connect before calling the film “WORST”.
The initial response was not entirely negative. An interval review praised Toxic as being “absolutely on fire till interval” and highlighted its screenplay, world-building and Yash’s screen presence.
The viewer described the interval block as “EPIC” and awarded the first half a rating of 4.5/5.
With Toxic now in theatres, audience reactions are continuing to emerge as viewers across Karnataka and other locations watch the film following its worldwide release.
