Hyderabad: The makers of ‘Toxic’ dropped a new teaser, titled Ladies & Ladies, on Wednesday, giving audiences a first look at the film’s leading women, Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, and Rukmini Vasanth.
Until now, the film’s promotional campaign, including its first official teaser, had largely revolved around Yash, with the female cast receiving little attention.
Following criticism from fans over their absence, the makers released a new teaser aimed at highlighting the film’s leading ladies.
However, instead of putting the debate to rest, the new promo sparked fresh criticism.
While some appreciated the new footage, others criticised a dialogue in the teaser and questioned the film’s creative direction.
Several users also wondered whether director Geetu Mohandas had full creative control, saying the teaser didn’t feel like it was made under the vision of a female filmmaker.
Expressing concern over the teaser’s controversial nature, a Redditor wrote, “Man what was that 😅🎬📈 Toxic needs to be careful from CBFC.”
Another wrote, “I am pretty confident that yash has shadow directed this film.”
Another commented, “i can’t convince myself that this film was written and directed by a woman it’s SO painfully obvious that this movie is only going to cater to the male gaze.”
Questioning how the film caters to women audiences, one commented, “Someone was saying that this movie is for women. I don’t know how!?”
Comparing the teaser to a men’s deodorant commercial, another wrote, “What in the wild stone ad is this?”
Questioning the teaser’s closing dialogue- “Don’t forget the predictable spectacle of men and their c**k,” one wrote, “Also what was that closing line. Cringefest 😭😭.”
Pointing out that Yash received significantly more screen time than the female leads, one user wrote, “They have more of Yash in Ladies teaser😭.”
Another commented, “It says ladies and ladies but they still have his picture in the thumbnail, grade one narcissistic behaviour.”
One posted, “No female character spoke in the teaser nor any of them were shown for more than 5-10 seconds. 😭 Irony was lost to the makers. And they made it all about Yash and how they will revolve around him. 🤦♂️”
Jointly produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, ‘Toxic’ is reportedly made on a massive budget of ₹850–1000 crore.
The film is slated to hit theatres on August 26.
