Toxic to Face Intense Censor Scrutiny?

KGF actor Yash’s upcoming pan-India biggie ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups’ has landed in a fresh controversy ahead of its theatrical release. Reportedly, the National Christian Federation has raised objections over the film’s alleged depiction of religious imagery.

This comes after the earlier issue flagged by Karnataka women’s commission over sexually explicit content in the teaser. As per the latest media reports, complaints have already been submitted to government and film authorities to take note of the objections raised by the religious group and to quickly intervene before the film’s release.

The group strongly objected to the portrayal of Saint Michael, a central archangel in Christianity, in a bad light and further alleged that explicit visuals were filmed in front of imagery associated with him, which it says has hurt the sentiments of the Christian community. 

Besides demanding an immediate public apology from the makers, the federation has also urged that promotional material and online videos containing the controversial visuals be taken down henceforth.

It also warned of serious consequences if both demands are not met at the earliest. The federation is currently awaiting a response from the team. However, the production house has not yet responded on the issue so far. 

A few days back, the first look was released to a striking response from moviegoers. It also drew severe backlash from a section of the society for its depiction of erotic content.

A complaint was also filed against the makers, alleging that the scene belittles the modesty of women. With multiple controversies surrounding the film well before its release, the road ahead looks tough for Toxic because it may face strict scrutiny by the censor team. 

As the film seems to be packed with bold and intimate scenes, bloodshed and religious insinuations, there won’t be much surprise if several restrictions are imposed by the censor board. 

Toxic is written by Yash and Geetu Mohandas who also directed the film. The cast includes Kiara Advani as Nadia, Huma Qureshi as Elizabeth, Nayanthara as Ganga, Tara Sutaria as Rebecca, and Rukmini Vasanth as Melissa. It is slated for release on March 19th.