After much-anticipation and fervour, Yash's latest film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has been released in theatres worldwide on Wednesday and audiences have been sharing their reviews of the Geetu Mohandas-directed action thriller since morning. While a few X users point toward a Rs 1000 crore blockbuster from the KGF actor, many netizens criticised the film for its screenplay.

The film’s writing has emerged as a major point of criticism. Some netizens have described the screenplay as chaotic and difficult to follow, while others have questioned the clarity of the storytelling and character introductions. The dialogues and editing have also drawn criticism, with some viewers finding the nearly three-hour runtime exhausting.

One user described the film as a "messy disaster". "Geethu Mohandas creates a toxic man in a fictional, highly stylized Goa of the past, filled with gangs, drugs, soap-opera-style characters and dialogues, forced sexual content, and a 3+ hour runtime. What the point of it all was is honestly beyond my understanding," he wrote. However, he praised Yash for his efforts in the "messy and incoherent screenplay."

Another user questioned the usage of grand visuals and a pan-Indian story for the film without focusing on the story. "The situation he (Yash) finds himself in now is somewhat similar to how Prabhas got trapped in a certain space after Baahubali," he wrote in Tamil in a lengthy X post, adding, "The day our filmmakers start giving more importance to the story rather than the hero’s star appeal, that’s when our films can truly compete with Hollywood."

Contradicting that, another person called Toxic "a visually spectacular action drama that blends style, emotion, and larger-than-life storytelling into a memorable big-screen experience." They also said, "Geetu Mohandas brings a unique vision to life with stunning visuals, grand production design, and beautifully crafted action sequences." Further, they praised Kiara Advani's "finest performance" and composer Ravi Basrur's "electrifying score."

Meanwhile another user also expressed their disappointment on Toxic not living up to its hype. "It really could’ve put Indian cinema on the global level, but it completely fumbled," they said.

The Kannada audience appears particularly divided. While some viewers have praised Geetu Mohandas’ treatment, the violent set pieces and the second half, others feel the first half takes too long to settle and that the screenplay struggles to hold the film together. Similar reactions have emerged from Hindi and Malayalam audiences.

There has also been an inevitable comparison with KGF, with some viewers feeling that Toxic carries a hangover from Yash’s previous blockbuster franchise. Others believe the film is attempting something different and should be judged on its own terms.

However, the disappointment and anger towards the film dominated X circles and timelines. One X handle termed it as a "colossal mess". They explained saying, "After watching Toxic, I genuinely felt the director had a much bigger ambition: Make a film so repulsive that the next time audiences see even a trailer featuring a toxic protagonist, problematic man or anti-hero… they think twice before entering the theatre."

Echoing popular sentiments one more user noted how it was a film that prioritised "Style over substance". "Great visuals & production, but weak screenplay, pacing and emotional connect. Yash’s screen presence stands out, yet the writing fails to deliver," he said.

Some reviews had praise Yash's screen presence and Kiara Advani's performance while the others criticised the excessive lag and sexual scenes. One review said, "The first half feels repetitive, with an adult scene followed by a fight and similar sequences continuing throughout. More importantly, the film fails to establish a strong emotional connection with the audience. The second half unfortunately continues the same slow pace, with only a few action sequences providing some relief."

Despite the mixed reviews, the film is heading towards a strong worldwide opening of close to Rs 100 crore. More than one million tickets have been booked through the BookMyShow platform with over 60.3K tickets sold in the last one hour.

Starring Yash in dual roles as estranged father and son who are fueding, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is one of the most expensive films ever made. Besides KVN Productions, Yash's Monster Mind Creations has also backed the movie. The film is co-written by Yash. Besides Yash, the film features a star-studded cast which includes Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, and Rukmini Vasanth.

Toxic has been shot simultaneously in Kannada and English, with both versions serving as the original productions. The film is set to released also with dubs in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam, making it one of the widest multilingual releases mounted by a Kannada film.