Toxic (2026 film)
Toxic is an upcoming Indian period gangster film directed by Geetu Mohandas. It stars Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Kyle Paul and Rukmini Vasanth. The film is jointly produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under their respective banners, KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations.
The film was officially announced in December 2023 under the tentative title Yash 19, as it is the 19th film of Yash as a leading actor, with the official title revealed a few days later. Principal photography commenced in August 2024 in Bengaluru. The cinematography and music is handled by Rajeev Ravi and Ravi Basrur respectively. The film was simultaneously shot in Kannada and English.
It is scheduled to release in theatres worldwide on 19 March 2026, coinciding with Eid and Ugadi.
Production
Development
In April 2018, it was reported that Yash would collaborate with director Geetu Mohandas for his next project after the KGF film franchise. Tentatively titled Yash 19, the production was reported to begin after Geetu finalised it as her next directorial venture. In April 2023, sources claimed that Yash and Geetu had signed the project and that production would begin in June. In late September 2023, Hollywood action choreographer J. J. Perry posted a photograph on Instagram with himself and Yash, hinting at a possible collaboration. Shortly thereafter, Yash reportedly spent a day at music composer Charan Raj's studio, further suggesting a potential association with the project. Finally on 9 December 2023, KVN Productions and Yash's production house, Monster Mind Creations, officially announced the film along with the title.In January 2024, cinematographer Rajeev Ravi was announced as part of the film's technical crew.
On 8 January 2025, Geetu stated that Yash was also part of the film's writing team.
On 9 December 2025, Ravi Basrur was confirmed as the film's music composer.
Filming
Principal photography commenced in June 2024 in Bangalore. A major portion of the shoot began on 8 August 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.As part of the production process, the film utilised previsualization to plan stunt sequences and ensure safety. Shooting later took place in Thoothukudi, where an action sequence was filmed, while a song sequence was shot in Jaipur.
Release
The first look teaser of Toxic was unveiled on 8 January 2026, coinciding with Yash’s 40th birthday.The teaser generated instant global traction, amassing over 200 million views and 5.5 million likes within 24 hours across platforms.Toxic is scheduled to be released worldwide on 19 March 2026, clashing with Dhurandhar Part 2: The Revenge and Dacoit: A Love Story in 6 languages, including Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and English. The release will also coincide with Ugadi.