Following the release of 'Dhurandhar: Storm' and during a period of calm in the Middle East, Gittu Mohandas' film 'Toxic' premiered in theaters on August 26. This gangster drama runs for 3 hours and 15 minutes and presents a large-scale and brutal depiction of the period from 1947 to 1967. Reviews about the film began to appear, and at that moment, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma published his commentary in his signature style.
It should be noted that there were previous plans for a clash between 'Dhurandhar 2' and 'Toxic'. Ram Gopal Varma made several posts regarding this. Ultimately, 'Toxic' was postponed due to the tense situation in the Middle East. Now, a new post from Ram Gopal Varma has appeared.
Without directly mentioning the film's title, Ram Gopal Varma expressed his criticism of 'Toxic' in his usual manner. He wrote in the post: 'Now #Dhurandhar is watching again.'
Previously, Ram Gopal Varma had repeatedly praised 'Dhurandhar' in contrast to 'Toxic'. Before the postponement, he shared long and sharp posts regarding this supposed confrontation. Varma characterized this confrontation as a conflict between two completely different cinematic approaches: one based on reality and consequences, and the other on style and demeanor.
Using the hashtag #Dhuroxic, Varma called Aditi Dhara's film a picture dedicated to 'cause, effect, and result.' In his opinion, violence in such films is not present for mere display but carries a moral, psychological, and political subtext. He argued that characters in such movies act out of necessity, not to look spectacular; and the narrative style is aimed at a thoughtful audience capable of understanding both silence and turmoil.
Conversely, Varma described Gittu Mohandas' film as an example of cinema where 'style is valued above logic.' His argument was that the violence in this picture primarily serves to demonstrate mood, without adding depth to the plot. Furthermore, Ram Gopal Varma raised questions about the character created by Yash. He wondered whether audiences would continue to love the 'dark heroes' (heroes with a dark or negative tint) shown in slow motion in 'Toxic,' and whether the feeling of depth or seriousness would be maintained in the stylish smoking shots.
In any case, although Ram Gopal Varma did not mention the word 'Toxic' in his post, his hint was clear enough about what he intended to convey.