The latest teaser of Yash’s upcoming action thriller Toxic, titled Ladies & Ladies, has ignited a debate on social media, with a section of viewers criticising the way the film’s female characters have been presented.
Released on Wednesday, the teaser introduces the film’s leading women, including Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. However, instead of focusing on their characters, several social media users felt the promo leaned heavily on glamour and sensual visuals.
Sharing reactions on X, one user wrote, “#Toxic New teaser dedicated to women, yet most of them are introduced through objectification rather than character.”
Another user criticised director Geetu Mohandas, posting, “I’m totally DISGUSTED. #Toxic. How can a woman like #GeetuMohandas make a SHIT like this?”
Expressing a similar view, another post described it as “The most VULGAR teaser of the DECADE.”
Some users went further, with one urging the certification authorities not to approve the film, writing, “I really hope that the Indian Censor Board DOES NOT pass this DISGUSTING film called #Toxic.”
Another viewer clarified that the concern was not about mature content itself but its portrayal, stating, “The nudity or sexual language isn’t what bothers me. It’s the way it’s presented. There’s a fine line between sensual and creepy, and from what I’ve seen, #Toxic makers doesn’t seem to know the difference.”
The teaser’s closing shot also drew criticism. One X user commented, “There’s male gaze. And then there’s the latest #Toxic teaser. That last scene…. It’s actually disturbing that someone actually wrote it, it was cleared and was even shot!”
The discussion also spread to Reddit, where users echoed similar concerns.
One Reddit comment read, “My grandparents and great-grandparents are thankful ki wo ye din dekhne se pehle swargwaasi ho gaye.”
Another user pointed to what they saw as the limited focus on the female cast, writing, “No female character spoke in the teaser, nor any of them were shown for more than 5-10 seconds.”
Toxic has faced multiple release delays and is now scheduled to hit theatres on August 26.
The film is produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations. It has been written and filmed in Kannada and English and will also be released in dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.
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