IGN's review of "Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups", out on 26 August, finds the gangland epic starring Indian megastar Yash to be visually lavish but narratively incoherent. Despite being a rare standalone story in a South Indian blockbuster scene dominated by multi-part franchises, the 194-minute film is edited so frenetically that following its characters and events becomes a persistent struggle, undermining the impact of Yash's charismatic dual performance.

Spanning five decades from the 1920s through Indian independence in 1947 and beyond, the film reimagines Goa as a Chicago-style drug-trade hub full of period style, making it one of the most expensive Indian films ever made, behind only the upcoming Varanasi and Ramayana: Part 1. The review criticises its rushed, flowery English-language dialogue and relentless, poorly contextualised action sequences, arguing the film's strongest moments are confined to its opening and closing scenes while the middle stretch feels numbing and directionless.