After the first-look reveals of Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Nayanthara, and Tara Sutaria, the makers of Yash's Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-ups have unveiled the first look of Rukmini Vasanth as a character named Mellisa.
In an official statement, director Geetu Mohandas praised Rukmini's work in the film. “What I admire most about Rukmini is her intelligence as an actor. She doesn’t just perform, she processes. She asks questions, not out of doubt but out of curiosity. It pushes me to think more deeply and sometimes even my own choices as a director. Watching her work reminds me that intelligence on screen often lies in what is left unsaid. Between shots, I often see her quietly writing in her journal, capturing thoughts, small anecdotes from the set. Those moments reveal a great deal about her process. She is constantly building her own inner world. I find her approach incredibly thoughtful, and at times I honestly wish I could steal those pages and read through them, just to understand the mind behind such a layered performance.”
The much-anticipated gangster drama has a script co-written by Geetu and Yash.
The team wrote and shot the big-scale gangster drama simultaneously in the Kannada and English languages, which will be accompanied by the dubbed versions of other Indian languages such as Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and more.
Toxic has been confirmed for a March 19, 2026, release date. Another major reveal is expected on the occasion of Yash's birthday on January 8.
Produced by Yash in association with KVN Productions, Toxic has veteran cinematographer and filmmaker Rajeev Ravi (also Geetu's spouse) as the director of photography. A filmmaker in his own right, known for the Malayalam hits Annayum Rasoolum, Njan Steve Lopez, and Kammattipadam, Rajeev is noted mostly for his critically acclaimed collaborations with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Ravi Basrur, who worked on the music for the KGF movies and Salaar, is the composer.
Rukimini Vasanth was last seen in Kantara: Chapter 1 - A Legend in a noteworthy performance that garnered appreciation from many corners.
