Much has been written and said about the rivalry and competition between the Kannada pan-India film Toxic and Hindi action Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Initially, both films were slated to release on the same day – March 19 – before the makers of Toxic pushed back the release of their film to June. While the makers specified the postponement was because of the ongoing Middle East conflict, many have linked it to a fear of Dhurandhar 2 eating into its business.
A new report, however, claims that Yash – the star and co-producer of Toxic – does not fear Dhurandhar 2 and is, in fact, looking forward to the film.
Yash is looking forward to Dhurandhar 2
Dhurandhar 2, sequel to the 2025 blockbuster Dhurandhar, stars Ranveer Singh. The spy thriller, directed by Aditya Dhar, is expected to be a major release in 2026, with many predicting it to be the highest-grossing Indian film ever. Toxic, on the other hand, marks Yash’s return to the big screen after the hugely successful KGF films. There have been talks about the films suffering because of the clash, which has now been averted. Even as fans of both films are getting into fights on social media, Bollywood Hungama has quoted a source saying that Yash is looking forward to Dhurandhar 2.
“Yash loved Dhurandhar and is looking forward to Part 2. All the rivalry, anxiety and competitiveness is created by outsiders desirous of juicing the so-called competition between the two films,” the source was quoted as saying.
The report adds that speculation about Toxic postponing its release date due to fear of competition from Dhurandhar 2 is incorrect. “Now, Toxic has moved forward not for fear of competition. But for the escalated war situation in the Gulf and UAE, which Dhurandhar 2 needn’t fear at all. Part 2 will be banned in Muslim countries just like Part 1 was,” the source added.
Toxic release postponed
On March 5, just two weeks ahead of the release of the film, makers of Toxic released a statement announcing the postponement of the release from March 19 to June 4. “After years of dedicated labour, we were excited to share our film with you all on the 19th of March. However, the current uncertainty, especially in the Middle East, has created a situation that impacts our goal to reach and connect with the widest possible audience. Therefore, in the interest of our partners and our audience, we have made the difficult but carefully considered decision to reschedule our release,” part of the statement read. The film, directed by Geetu Mohandas, also stars Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, and Rukmini Vasanth.
Dhurandhar 2 stays on course
Dhurandhar 2, however, remains unaffected by the escalating tensions between Iran, Israel, and the USA in West Asia. This is because the film is likely to not be released in the Gulf countries due to its perceived ‘anti-Pakistan’ stance. The film remains on course for a March 19 release, when it will clash with Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh.
