There was a time when Yash came to Majestic looking for a way into cinema. He had left home, arrived in Bengaluru and spent time at the Majestic bus station, hoping to find a way to realise his dream. He has recalled looking at the cut-outs of popular stars outside theatres and wondering when he would have one of his own. Today, that same area sees his biggest film yet taking over its screens. Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is set to have more than 50 shows across theatres in and around Majestic, one of the traditional hubs of Kannada cinema.
Before KGF turned him into a pan-Indian star, Yash had completed around 16 films. He moved from television to the big screen with Moggina Manasu and gradually built a fan following with his signature kind of films such as Kirataka, Googly and Mr and Mrs Ramachari to name a few. But he has also spoken about the difficult phase when he first arrived in Bengaluru with just ₹300 in his pocket and wondered if he should return to Mysuru. Majestic was part of that early struggle. It was also where Yash experienced cinema as an audience member, watching films in the single-screen theatres that once defined Bengaluru’s movie culture.
Toxic is scheduled to play at Santosh, Narthaki and Triveni, with each theatre expected to have around five to six shows on the opening day. AMB, formerly Kapali Theatre, is also set to host more than 30 shows. Together, the Majestic belt alone is expected to account for more than 50 shows. But Majestic is only one part of the larger Bengaluru picture. Toxic is also taking over several of the city’s popular single-screen theatres, bringing back the familiar sight of fans turning up hours before the first show. Fans are expected to gather at theatres across Bengaluru from as early as 6 AM, giving the opening day a distinctly old-school feel beyond the multiplexes. Among the single screens seeing the Toxic rush are Veeresh, Prasanna, Robin, Anjan, Navaran, Kamakya and Siddeshwara. These theatres have long been part of Bengaluru’s silver-screen culture, and Yash’s film is set to bring them back into focus.
The scale of the Karnataka release is equally significant. Toxic is expected to have around 2800 shows across the state, while the film is targeting a worldwide release across around 12,000 screens in multiple languages. Apart from Kannada, the film is also releasing in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English, giving it a presence across major Indian markets and overseas territories. Its distribution network includes KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations in Karnataka, also the producers of the film, with distributors handling different Indian territories and international markets, including Lionsgate. The release will also span multiple formats, including 2D, EPIQ, IMAX 2D, 4DX and Dolby Cinema 2D.
The cast includes Yash in the lead, playing a double role, alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Rukmini Vasanth, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Akshay Oberoi, Sudev Nair and Balaji Manohar. Directed by Geetu Mohandas, the film has received an ‘A’ certificate from the CBFC and has a runtime of around three hours and 14 minutes. For Toxic, Majestic is one stop in a massive worldwide theatrical release. For Yash, however, it carries a different weight. The same area where he once sat with ₹300, unsure of what lay ahead, will now see his film occupy dozens of shows as the Rocking Star is taking over Bengaluru’s silver screens in a way that connects directly with the city’s old-school movie-going culture. An actor who once came to Majestic looking for an opportunity and cut-outs, he is now returning with a film that has the city waiting from 6 AM.