Geetu Mohandas’s recent comments about the making of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups have revived the debate online; a video of the filmmaker going viral is going viral too, and reactions to the Yash-led action drama are mixed.
The director has said that she wrote one version of the story and shot something different so people are interested in the film, even as they continue to debate the story, style and execution.
Toxic is Geetu Mohandas’s first collaboration with Kannada superstar Yash and one of the most ambitious projects in her career. It was promoted as a stylised action drama with an international visual appeal and a mix of gangster cinema, family life and dark fantasy. Yash is the central protagonist and the film has an ensemble cast from Indian and international film.
The viral video has gained traction largely because Mohandas’ frank remarks about the gap that can sometimes emerge between a screenplay and the final film. Her comment “I write something else, shoot something else” has been interpreted differently by viewers. Some have taken it as a confession of the filmmaking process, others have linked the comment to their own feelings about the final narrative and presentation of the film.
Filmmaking is always an evolving process, and particularly when it comes to large scale productions. Because of practical considerations, performances, locations, production needs, editing and the director’s changing vision, a screenplay is an initial creative blueprint, but a movie can change in real life and can be filmed differently as well. Scenes can be rewritten, edited out or rearranged, and performances and visual storytelling are very much to do with how a story ends up in front of people.
The question of Mohandas’ comments comes at a time when Toxic has received mixed reviews from viewers and, although some people say that it has an eye for the visual and performance and an unusual approach, others are not happy with the story and its pacing. The divided reaction has made the movie a topic for Yash’s fans and those fans of Kannada movies.
Yash's involvement naturally adds to the attention of the project. After the huge success of KGF: Chapter 1 and KGF: Chapter 2, expectations are very high for his next projects. His decision to work with Mohandas was to take cinema in a different direction and the director has a very unique style of filmmaking and many awards.
The film’s visual identity has been one of the most discussed aspects. Mohandas has made an effort to make the film atmosphere, characterisation and stylised action central to her vision. Toxic has been a big project and its production scale has also needed a lot of planning so it is a big project in the current Kannada film industry.
The viral video has thus opened up a larger conversation about creative expectations and the realities of filmmaking. A director's original screenplay is rarely the final product for the audience, and they usually see only the final version, once it has been months or years of development, to come. Mohandas’ statement has opened people’s eyes to a complicated creative adventure.
At the same time, the comment should not be taken as a statement that the film fell short of its intended story because of production problems. In the absence of further context, the statement may be interpreted as the usual way of making a film better during shooting and editing. Online conversations can amplify individual comments without giving the full context in which they were made.
For fans, most interesting is the insight that the controversy can provide into Mohandas’ creative process. Her entire career in film has been about complicated characters and complicated emotional issues. Toxic is a step in the right direction on a much bigger commercial scale, and has to do with her own storytelling and also what a big star vehicle would expect her.
The mixed reviews have also illustrated the ever-more diverse expectations of Indian cinema audiences. Some people like the clarity and familiarity of a plot and narrative structure; others are more interested in visual flair, atmosphere and unusual narrative structures. A film trying to combine both approaches can naturally elicit very different responses.
ADHD mentioned... Isn't that what people signed up for when they brought this genius to direct the movie? https://t.co/psJbaUZVkK pic.twitter.com/BcmxC7WL1Y
— Maverick 🇩🇪 🇦🇷 (@MaverickGowda) August 26, 2026
As the viral video continues to spread, Geetu Mohandas’ comments will be part of the larger conversation surrounding Toxic. But more than one criticism or praise for the film is not a good explanation of every criticism or praise we receive, it is a glimpse of the unpredictable and collaborative nature of filmmaking.
Toxic remains a project that Yash and Mohandas must do. The film’s reception may be further affected in the coming months as more and more people see it and talk about its ideas, performances and filmmaking decisions. Meanwhile, the director’s viral comment has only added to the discourse and made viewers consider the difference between what is on the page and what is on screen.
Comments
Please to leave a comment on this article.