Yash, Kiara Advani's Toxic Gets 18+ Rating From BBFC In UK For Violence, Sex & Injury: Reports

Filmmaker Geetu Mohandas' Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, starring Yash in the lead, has received an 18+ certification from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) ahead of its release. The Kannada film has been given high ratings for violence, injury detail and sex, among several other categories.

According to the BBFC listing, Toxic has been mistakenly categorised as a Tamil film instead of Kannada. The certification description says the movie follows “the leader of a powerful drug cartel in Goa” who “sows the seeds of his own destruction.”

The film has received a 5/5 rating for violence, sex and injury detail. It has also been rated 4/5 for threat and horror, language, drugs, sexual violence and sexual threat, as well as suicide and self-harm. The UK version has a runtime of 191 minutes and 41 seconds.

The BBFC's violence classification reportedly describes the film as containing, “Strong violence includes shootings, stabbings, throat slashings, bludgeonings, torture, hangings, immolations and dismemberments, frequently resulting in large blood spurts and grisly injury detail.”

The certification also mentions sexual and erotic content, including scenes set in strip clubs. Another section states that, “Strong images of corpses, severed body parts, bleeding wounds, and pools of blood occur in the aftermath of violence.”

Toxic reportedly also contains an ‘upsetting scene’ that implies child sexual abuse, along with strong language and depictions of drug misuse.

Toxic's cast and production

Toxic features an ensemble cast including Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. The film is directed by Geetu Mohandas and has been produced by Venkata Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations LLP.

Shot in Kannada and English, the film has been mounted on a massive budget and is touted as one of India's most expensive productions. Its promotional material has already drawn attention, particularly for its intense violence and sensual imagery.

Toxic was originally scheduled to release alongside Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge in March, but the makers postponed the film amid the West Asia conflict. It will now arrive in theatres on August 26.