Geetu Mohandas and Yash’s much-awaited film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups was released in theatres on Wednesday. The film opened to lukewarm responses from critics and audiences alike. Since its release, social media has been filled with memes about the audience experience, averted clash with Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge and more. (Also Read: Toxic movie review: Yash's film is a soulless nightmare, a sensory overload that tests your patience)
The missed clash with Dhurandhar

One hilarious meme that cropped up was AI-generated. It sees Yash walking along on the road, but hiding in fear when he notices Ranveer Singh screaming and looking for him. He can be seen coming out of hiding and feeling relieved once the Dhurandhar actor leaves. “This meme has become so relevant now,” wrote an X user posting the meme.
Another meme posted by an Instagram user shows him coming out of the theatre as Phir Se from Dhurandhar 2 plays. He can be seen almost crying as he looks toward the exit, contemplating leaving. He looks at the camera and stays back. The text at the end reads, “Balidan Paramon Dharam (Sacrifice is the supreme duty).”
{{/usCountry}}Another meme posted by an Instagram user shows him coming out of the theatre as Phir Se from Dhurandhar 2 plays. He can be seen almost crying as he looks toward the exit, contemplating leaving. He looks at the camera and stays back. The text at the end reads, “Balidan Paramon Dharam (Sacrifice is the supreme duty).”
{{/usCountry}}Deep Dive
What are the main themes explored in the film Toxic?
Why did the film Toxic receive lukewarm responses despite its high expectations?
How did the audiences react to watching Toxic in theaters?
Escaping theatre after watching Toxic
Another recurring theme in the memes was about the audience rushing out of the theatre after watching Toxic. One meme shows Yash saying at Comic-Con San Diego, “I’m sure when they’re coming out of the theatre they’ll be like, bro, and they’ll say, what the hell was that?” It shows an audience member running out of a theatre and trying to break the gate lock to leave, as Tabaahi plays in the background.
One hilarious meme shows the audience getting down an escalator at double speed and waiting at the bottom for others to ‘escape’. “Audience escaping home after watching #Toxic,” wrote an X user posting the meme. People can even be heard screaming as they escape from the theatre.
Traumatised by the film
Many memes on social media show the audience losing their minds and being unable to accept Toxic. One meme shows a man scratching his head and pulling his hair in frustration. The caption read: “Reaction after watching “TOXIC” movie be like. Went into the theatre with sky-high expectations and came out wondering what just happened. The hype was TOXIC, the expectations were TOXIC, and the reaction after the movie was even more TOXIC.”
Another Instagram user posted a popular Telugu meme showing a shocked man looking at the screen and asking for the show to stop. He even faints at the end. It ends with him asking to be relieved from watching it, even offering money for his freedom. The caption reads: “My reaction after watching Toxic first day first show without sleep.”
One meme even uses a popular scene of Karthi’s in which he cries while saying, “Because I knew something like this would happen, I asked you numerous times to tell me where you’re taking us. What rights do you have to bring us here and kill us?”
Toxic stars Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. It was released in all South Indian languages and Hindi. The film opened to a ₹140 crore worldwide collection.
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