Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has been singing praises of Dhurandhar ever since he caught the film, frequently lauding its impact and execution.
Now, ahead of the much-anticipated 2026 box-office showdown, the director has seemingly taken a veiled swipe at Yash’s Toxic, which is set to clash with Dhurandhar 2, which will be led by Ranveer Singh.
RGV takes a dig at Toxic
Ram Gopal Varma took to social media to take a dig at Yash’s Toxic, which also stars Kiara Advani and Huma Qureshi, seemingly hinting that it will not be able to work in front of Dhurandhar 2.
“DHURANDHAR 2 ‘ S BITE will be TOXIC,” Ram Goal Varma wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This isn’t the first instance of the filmmaker taking a swipe at South Indian cinema while lauding Dhurandhar. He took to X on Monday and wrote, “THE FIRE BALL of the SOUTHIES invasion into BOLLYWOOD has been KICKED back by @AdityaDharFilms left foot, named #dhurandhar and now his right foot getting ready with #dhurandhar 2 … From what I saw of the 2nd part, if the 1st SCARED them, the 2nd will TERRIFY them.”
Dhurandhar has emerged as the #1 film of 2025. The Aditya Dhar directorial, which was released in theatres on December 5, surpassed expectations and shattered records. It has already crossed ₹1000 crore worldwide.
Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar tells the story of an Indian spy sent to Pakistan’s Lyari to infiltrate a Baloch gang. Ranveer Singh plays the spy, Hamza Ali Mazari, alias Jaskirat Singh Rangi, in the film, while Akshaye Khanna plays Rehman Dakait, leader of the gang. Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi also star in it. The film’s sequel, Dhurandhar 2, is slated for release on March 19, 2026.
About Toxic
Written by Yash and Geetu, and directed by Geetu, Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups has been filmed simultaneously in both Kannada and English, with dubbed versions planned for Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and several other languages. Kiara plays Nadia in the film, and Huma plays Elizabeth.
On December 31, Yash posted Nayanthara’s first look from their upcoming film, Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic – A Fairytale For Grown-Ups. Introducing her as Ganga, the look showcases her as both elegant and dangerous. Nayanthara’s first look from the film follows those of Kiara Advani and Huma Qureshi.
It is produced by Venkat K Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations. Toxic is slated for release on the long festive weekend of 19th March 2026, coinciding with Eid, Ugadi, and Gudi Padwa.