Benedict Garrett addresses ‘Toxic’ teaser criticism; Says audiences accept violence more easily than sensual content |
The conversation around Yash’s upcoming action thriller ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups’ continues to grow after actor Benedict Garrett addressed the criticism surrounding the film’s latest teaser, ‘Ladies & Ladies’. The supporting actor shared his views during an Instagram Ask Me Anything session.Responding to the question, Garrett defended the promotional material while speaking about society’s differing reactions to violence and sexuality in cinema.He said, “I have no idea. I can only assume people have more problems seeing sexually related content than they do seeing violence, which, in my opinion, is totally f****d. Give me a world with sex over violence any day.”
Why ‘Toxic’ teaser sparked debate
The recently released ‘Ladies & Ladies’ teaser introduced the principal female characters from the film. Soon after it dropped, sections of social media questioned the way the women were portrayed on screen.The teaser opens with a playful disclaimer directed at children, grandparents and even great-grandparents before moving into a series of stylised sequences. It first features Yash alongside Kiara Advani in an intimate moment on a beach. The visuals then shift to Nayanthara, who is shown riding a motorcycle while taking on armed men.The teaser also introduces Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, and Rukmini Vasanth through glamorous visuals that blend romance, mystery and action.Towards the end, the teaser adopts a darker tone with an intense visual involving Yash and a revolver. Throughout these sequences, a female voice-over says, “Love makes monsters of women. It’s a beautiful illusion if one understands the depth of its deception. And yet here we are. We are fighting for his scraps of his devotion.” The promo concludes with the caption, “Ladies and Ladies.”
Release plans revised once again
Apart from the teaser, the film has also remained in the news because of its revised release schedule.The makers have now locked August 26 as the worldwide release date. Earlier, the film was expected to arrive in theatres on March 19 before being moved to June 4. Actor-producer Yash addressed the delay and explained why the team chose to wait before bringing the film to audiences.He wrote, “At a time when Indian cinema is finding its voice and stepping onto the global stage with such promise, each of us has a responsibility to raise the bar. As an actor-producer, I see this moment as an opportunity to do my part for the Indian film industry and for all of us by taking the time to ensure our film reaches the world with the impact it is meant to have.”
A pan-Indian release with global ambitions
Directed by Geetu Mohandas, ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups’ has been mounted as a multilingual action thriller with an international appeal. The film has been shot in Kannada and English and will also release in dubbed versions across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.
