New Delhi: The teaser for Yash’s Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups was released on 1 July. The trailer captioned “Ladies & Ladies” introduces the female cast of Geethu Mohandas’ dark universe.
The video opens with a disclaimer: “Kids… stay away. Parents… make sure your kids stay away. Grandparents… make sure your kids’ kids stay away. Great Grandparents… at your own risk.”
The teaser establishes a fierce, combative tone from the get-go.
“Love makes monsters of women. It is a beautiful illusion if one understands the depth of its deception,” narrates a woman.
The clip introduces each actor in a meticulously designed, retro-gothic set-up. For instance, Nayanthara is introduced looking into a brightly lit vanity mirror, and Kiara Advani emerges from water in a high-glamour close-up.
Tara Sutaria, who appears in an intimate position with Yash multiple times in the video, is dressed like a femme fatale while smoking in a lounge. Meanwhile, Rukmini Vasanth is in action mode as she pulls a handgun. Huma Qureshi is the last to be introduced, decked in a leather-clad, goth-punk fashion.
The teaser features multiple action sequences sprinkled with hints at intimate scenes before Yash’s character appears toward the end of the video. As he stands in front of a counter, rolling up his sleeves to face the all-women strike team, he asks, ‘Do you want to come one at a time… or all together?’
The combat choreography is well-executed with a series of fast-cut, hand-to-hand combat, as well as the typical shattered glass and acrobatics.
“But here comes a plot twist, ladies… Don’t forget the predictable spectacle of men and their cocks,” returns the voiceover at the end to deliver the closing line. It is immediately followed by Yash pressing the trigger of a gun, which is placed inside a woman’s mouth.
The one-minute-forty-two-second clip has got the internet talking. A large section has come out in support of the actor, saying, “Oscar is waiting for Yash boss”.
“Yash will blast the theatre,” claimed another. Some even applauded the makers for the last scene of the promotional video.
However, the video also left many wondering how it passed the censor board.
“Yeh Ramayana se pehle Ravan wali image bana raha hai (He is making his image like that of Ravan before Ramayana),” read one comment on YouTube. Yash will be playing the demon king Ravana in director Nitesh Tiwari’s mega-budget, two-part cinematic adaptation of the Ramayana.
“RIP censor board,” another comment read.
The highly anticipated pan-Indian action drama Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is scheduled to release in theatres worldwide on 26 August 2026. It will be available in English, Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)