Kantara Star Rishab Shetty Defends Yashâs Toxic Amid Mixed Response

Rishab Shetty has come out in support of Yash and Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups amid the mixed response to the film. The Geetu Mohandas directorial, which released in theatres on August 26, has sparked considerable discussion online, with audiences and critics divided over its unconventional storytelling and treatment of its characters.

Amid the debate, the Kantara actor-filmmaker took to X to praise Yash’s performance and the team’s attempt to tell a story that does not necessarily follow a conventional path.

He took to X to write, “As an artist, when you play a character, you try to bring it to life from the bottom of your heart. And here, I am truly impressed by the conviction with which the struggle of a powerful man has been portrayed.”

The actor-filmmaker added, “Maybe the plot and driving characters are not on the usual track on which most films travel, but that doesn’t mean the track is wrong. The effort that goes into telling a story, and the journey it takes from being a thought in the mind to becoming a film on screen, is humongous.”

He then praised Yash for completely surrendering himself to a character and a world that demands a larger-than-life performance.

“It’s not easy to give the audience an experience of how guilt multiplies and increases the toxicity in life. I stand with you for attempting this daring experiment, sir. We love you for the love you have for taking Kannada cinema to the global stage,” he concluded.

Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups stars Yash in a dual role alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. The film is set against the backdrop of post-independence Goa and follows Yash’s characters Raya and Ticket amid a world of power, violence, betrayal and redemption.