From shock value to a debate on hypocrisy, consent and the female gaze
The teaser of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has detonated more than just cinematic spectacle. While its violent, hyper-stylised imagery stunned audiences on release, the real aftershock played out online-where attention quickly shifted from star Yash to filmmaker Geetu Mohandas, reopening unresolved debates around misogyny, morality and who gets to define transgression in contemporary cinema.
In a barrage of dark, visceral frames, Yash’s character Raya is introduced in a deliberately unsettling setting before the teaser escalates into large-scale violence and destruction. The message is clear, Toxic isn’t a conventional star vehicle, nor does it offer easy moral answers. It is confrontational, abrasive and deliberately excessive.
Early responses leaned toward awe, but within hours, the discourse took a sharper turn. Praise for Yash’s transformation gave way to scrutiny of what some viewers described as ideological dissonance at the heart of the film.
The Core Controversy
Geetu Mohandas Responds
Mohandas did not issue a conventional clarification. Instead, she responded via Instagram with a video carrying a pointed text overlay:
“Chilling while people figure out female pleasure, consent, women playing systems, etc., etc.”
The post was seen as a pushback against moral panic, suggesting the discomfort says more about viewers than the film itself.
Kasaba’s Director Hits back
The debate escalated when Kasaba director Nithin Ranjith Panicker weighed in with a sharply worded Instagram post:
“When the ‘pseudo’ YOU forget YOUR own ‘GOSPEL’, hypocrisy blooms…and rot follows.” His remarks reframed the conversation as one of selective outrage and ideological inconsistency, further polarising an already divided audience.
