Refuting rumours that Yash shadow directed Toxic, Sudev Nair clarified Geethu Mohandas’s role as the film’s sole director.
Yash as Raya in a still from Toxic (Photo: Team Toxic)
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Hyderabad:Since the first glimpse of the Yash starrer Toxic released on January 8, 2025, speculations arose about whether it was a film by Moothon acclaimed Geethu Mohandas. Debate on social media grew with the release of each promotional asset from the film. However, actor Sudev Nair who plays a significant role in the film, responded to rumours regarding Yash’s involvement in the film’s direction.
Nair mentioned in an interview with a webloid that he also heard various rumours during the shoot, including claims that Yash was shadow-directing the film or that the project had been abandoned midway. But according to him, there is no truth to these claims.
Defending the film, its director and leading man, Nair said, “None of those rumours are true. This film is completely the vision of director Geetu Mohandas. It was something someone made up during a break in the schedule. I also heard that the film had been shelved and that Yash was doing shadow direction. But I did not believe it. This was something someone created to spread negativity. Whenever I was there, Geetu was the one who directed every single scene.”
Nair also heaped praise on Yash saying he completely surrenders to the director’s vision and follows the director’s instructions closely. “Yash never interferes with the direction. He is a ‘director’s actor’ who does exactly what the director tells him. He was extremely curious to know whether certain takes were okay or not. That’s how dedicated he is,” said Nair, who is seen playing Karmadi in the film.
Upon its release on August 26, Toxic received mixed reactions in theaters. Though it registered a massive opening of Rs 101.10 crore net in India, the collections dwindled in the following days. Shot simultaneously in Kannada and English, the film was dubbed into several other languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi. Yash aside, the film also features notable actors like Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth and others.
Toxic is Yash’s 19th outing as an actor. He rose to Pan-India fame with his larger-than-life persona in Prashanth Neel direcetd KGF franchise. With Toxic, the actor returned to the big screens after a four-year gap following the KGF 2 release.
