Director Geetu Mohandas breaks silence on ‘Toxic’ criticism with post on Instagram

Director Geetu Mohandas has finally commented on the criticism and trolling she received over the portrayal of a female character in the promo video for her upcoming film, Toxic A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups.

In a video post made to Facebook and Instagram, the director said, “chilling while people figure out female pleasure, consent, women playing systems, etc, etc.”

Netizens have criticised the director for “objectifying women” in her film while standing against other filmmakers who have objectified women in Mollywood.

The criticism was targeted at a scene in the promo video for the gangster protagonist ‘Raya’ played by Yash. In the clip, Raya is seen having sex with a female character inside a car while gunfire and explosions ring outside.

Many called out the hypocrisy in her decision to reduce the female character to body parts and engage in creating a misogynistic portrayal of women. Netizens dug up past comments made by the director on how romance is to be portrayed on screen without causing discomfort for the audience.

The other side of the internet rallied to defend Mohandas. Supporters pointed out that the film is highly stylised and dark compared to the Mohandas’s previous films and said that it was an artist’s right to explore different styles.

Mohandas's own reasoning in her Instagram post is that the woman in the promo scene was there consensually and that it is a depiction of female pleasure, which is often not seen in Indian films.

More criticism followed the director's Instagram post. Reddit users accused her of deflecting from the issue and using the female character as a prop for the male character to 'aura farm'.