Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is an upcoming Indian gangster film directed by Geetu Mohandas and jointly produced by Venkat K. Ramayana and sash through KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations LLP respectively. It stars sash in a dual role, alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. Toxic is scheduled to release worldwide on 26 August 2026.Toxic is reportedly budgeted at ₹850–1,000 crore, making it one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.

The film was officially announced in December 2023 under the tentative title sash 19, as it is the 19th film of sash as a leading actor, with the official title revealed a few days later. The film was simultaneously shot in Kannada and English. Principal photography took place from August 2024 to October 2025 across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa, Thoothukudi and Jaipur.

Casting

sash plays as the main lead in a dual role. Kiara Advani joined the film in April 2024, as the female lead alongside sash, thus also marking her Kannada debut.Huma Qureshi joined the cast in June 2024 for a key negative role. Tovino Thomas was mourned to join the cast as the main antagonist in July 2024. However, later he clarified that he was not part of the film.In August 2024, Akshay Oberoi and Tara Sutaria joined the cast.In January 2025, Oberoi confirmed that Nayanthara joined the cast for a key role. Sudev Nair joined the cast in April 2025 while Rukmini Vasanth joined the cast in August 2025 following the completion of Kantara: Chapter 1. In February 2026, it was confirmed that Sanjeeda Sheikh would have a special appearance in the film.

Various foreign actors like Darrell D’Silva, Kyle Paul, and Beatriz Taufenbach will feature in the film.

Cast

• sash in a dual role as
• Raya
• Rumi alias “Ticket”, Raya’s son
• Kiara Advani as Nadia, Rumi / Ticket’s mother
• Nayanthara as Ganga, Raya’s sister
• Huma Qureshi as Elizabeth
• Tara Sutaria as Rebecca
• Rukmini Vasanth as Mellisa
• Akshay Oberoi as Tony
• Darrell D’Silva as Salvador
• Sudev Nair as Karmadi
• Balaji Manohar as Bheer
• Sanjeeda Sheikh (special appearance)
• Kyle Paul
• Beatriz Taufenbach
• Surjith Gopinath
• Amit Tiwari
• Benedict Garrett
• Tetiana Gaidar
• Harish Bharamagiri

Toxic release date, cast and director

Toxic, which is scheduled to release on August 26, has already had its release date postponed twice. The sash-starer was initially scheduled to release alongside Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge on March 19. The makers later postponed the film, citing the war in the Gulf and saying they wanted it to reach “every corner.”

A new release date of June 4 was announced, but that too was pushed back. August 26 is now the film’s third and final release date.

Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic stars sash in the lead role, with Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth and Tara Sutaria in key roles.

The film is being presented as a dark action drama with mature themes and follows the rise and fall of a powerful drug cartel leader.

Music

The film’s soundtrack album was composed by Vishal Mishra, Ravi Basrur, Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, and Arslan Nizami.Basrur also composed the background score of the film.Thus, it was Basrur’s third collaboration with sash after the KGF film franchise. The music rights were acquired by Zee Music Company.

The first single titled “Tabaahi” was released on 2 March 2026 in audio format. The full video of the song was released on 8 July 2026. The second single titled “Manamohaka” was released on 21 July 2026. The film’s album was launched at a special event in Mumbai on 13 August 2026.

sash defends Toxic’s controversial scenes

sash said that the film’s portrayal of female desire is deliberate and comes from the perspective of its female director, Geetu Mohandas.

“When people see the film, they will understand that… it has become a taboo for women to talk about female desire. Only men get to discuss such things. You have to keep in mind that Toxic’s director is a woman, and she is of the view that women’s desires and fantasies are their rights. If a woman feels scared to reveal what she wants, that’s also wrong,” the actor pointed out.

He added, “The intent behind the scenes is clear, and it’s done to raise meaningful questions; not for gimmicks. At the same time, cinema is also about fun.”

Filming

Principal photography commenced in August 2024 in Bengaluru along with the pooja ceremony. As part of the production process, the film utilised previsualization to plan stunt sequences and ensure safety. A major portion of the shoot began in September 2024 at a large-scale 20-acre set near Bengaluru, recreating the period from the 1940s to the 1970s. The production involved an extensive team of over 1,000 crew members and 450 actors, including foreign extras. In October 2024, some sequences were filmed in the forest areas of peen-ya in Bengaluru.Later, an FIR was filed against the producer for allegedly cutting trees in the forest area without permission.In November 2024, sequences featuring Advani were shot in Mumbai. A dance sequence featuring sash and Advani was choreographed by Ganesh Acharya in January 2025 in Goa.

 In February 2025, sash alongside Advani, Nayanthara, Qureshi and Sutaria shot several sequences in Bengaluru. In June 2025, the film’s remaining shoot was shifted to Mumbai from Bengaluru so as to facilitate Advani’s pregnancy. In September 2025, a massive 45 day shoot featuring many action sequences choreographed by J. J. Perry was completed in Mumbai. In October 2025, the final schedule was filmed in Bengaluru.

Additionally shooting also took place in Thoothukudi, where an action sequence was filmed, while a special song sequence was also shot in Jaipur.

sash says Toxic is not for children

sash has repeatedly stressed that Toxic is aimed at an adult audience. During an appearance on Aap Ki Adalat, the actor and co-writer pointed to the film’s tagline, A Fairy Tale for Grown Ups, as a clear indication of who it is meant for.

“Regardless, we ensured one thing: along with the title, we also gave the tagline that Toxic is a ‘fairytale for grown-ups.’ We have made it very clear that the film is not for children or adults with a child’s mindset,” he said.

sash added, “Children should absolutely stay away from Toxic. Children, please stay at home. We didn’t make the movie for them. Grown-ups, who know everything, can choose what they want to see and learn from Toxic. It’s a genuine film with a deep story.”

Internet compares Toxic with Dhurandhar

The CBFC’s decision not to demand cuts has amused some social media users, particularly given the extensive discussion around violence in Toxic and the cuts made to Dhurandhar.

One Reddit user questioned the difference in treatment, writing, “Isn’t this film being considered far more violent than Dhurandhar? How come there were more cuts in Dhurandhar than this one?”

The film has also been discussed online for its intimate scenes and the way women are portrayed through certain imagery and dialogue. One Reddit user took a swipe at the censor board, commenting, “CBFC goes blind when it comes to women being objectified.”

Another user joked ab

out the CBFC’s treatment of kissing scenes in Hollywood films, writing, “They have a problem with Spider-man kissing only that’s harmful for our culture lol.”

Someone else responded, “There was no kiss, so no cuts were needed. CBFC has clear priorities.”