Ram Gopal Varma has once again found himself at the centre of the Toxic conversation, although this time he did not mention Yash’s film by name. On Wednesday evening, the filmmaker posted that he was watching Dhurandhar again, just as Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups was facing a wave of mixed reactions following its theatrical release. The timing was enough for sections of social media to interpret the post as another jab at Geetu Mohandas’ action drama. Varma has previously spoken openly about the two films, making his latest post especially easy for fans to connect with the ongoing Toxic discussion.
The two movies could have created one of the biggest box-office clashes of the year. Toxic was originally scheduled for March 19, the same date planned for Dhurandhar: The Revenge, before the Yash-led film was postponed and eventually moved to August 26. That earlier clash had already prompted RGV to compare the films in unusually blunt terms, so his latest post has inevitably reopened that chapter.
RGV’s Dhurandhar Post Sparks Toxic Debate
Varma’s latest post was remarkably short. He wrote on X, “Now watching #Dhurandhar again,” without explaining why he had decided to revisit Aditya Dhar’s film or whether the post had anything to do with Toxic. There was no direct reference to Yash, Geetu Mohandas or the reviews arriving for Toxic that day. However, because of his earlier comments about the proposed clash, many users immediately read more into the timing.
Some social media users treated the post as obvious trolling, with one joking, “Bro is more toxic than #toxic.” Another user compared the two films directly and suggested that Varma’s post was effectively saying Dhurandhar was the better viewing choice. There were also comments claiming Yash had avoided the original clash because Dhurandhar would have dominated, although those reactions remain fan speculation rather than an established reason for the postponement.
Not everyone found the apparent dig amusing. Some users criticised Varma for seemingly mocking another filmmaker’s work and argued that negative reviews should not become an excuse to dismiss the effort behind a movie. That split in the reaction is worth noting because Varma never explicitly said that his post was about Toxic. The interpretation has largely come from the timing and the filmmaker’s history of comments about the two movies.
RGV Had Already Compared Toxic And Dhurandhar
The latest reaction makes more sense when viewed alongside Varma’s comments from February, when the proposed release-date clash was still a major talking point. At the time, he described Dhurandhar 2 as the “new DAVID staring up at #Toxic, the fresh GOLIATH,” using the David-versus-Goliath comparison to frame the battle between the two films.
Varma went considerably further in another post, writing, “The principal difference between the two is that #Dhurandhar respects the audience’s intelligence and #Toxic presumes their dumbness.” He also compared KGF 2 and Dhurandhar, arguing that the former appealed to the masses in a different way while Dhurandhar connected globally by targeting what he described as the intelligence of the audience.
Those comments were never neutral observations. Varma was clearly positioning Dhurandhar above Toxic before the films even had a chance to compete at the box office. That is why his decision to post about rewatching Dhurandhar on the day of Toxic’s release has attracted so much attention, even though the new post itself contains no criticism of the Yash-starrer.
The situation also highlights how much anticipation had built around the proposed March clash. A Yash action film following the massive success of the KGF franchise was set to meet Ranveer Singh and Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar in theatres on the same day. Instead, the release calendar changed before audiences could see whether either film had a genuine advantage over the other.
Why Toxic Was Postponed
The postponement was officially attributed to the West Asian conflict and its impact on theatrical releases in the Middle East. Toxic was moved away from its March date and eventually arrived in cinemas on August 26, meaning the much-discussed clash never actually happened. Yash has also addressed the speculation surrounding the delay, pushing back against the idea that the film was moved because its team was afraid of competing with Dhurandhar.
That distinction is important because the postponement has remained part of the conversation around Toxic. Once the film finally reached theatres, the earlier comparisons returned almost immediately, particularly because Varma had already publicly predicted a very different outcome for the two projects. The latest social media exchange is therefore less about one X post and more about a rivalry narrative that has been building for months.
Toxic is directed by Geetu Mohandas and stars Yash alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. The film has attracted attention for its ambitious gangster-world setting and Yash’s larger-than-life presence, but its reception has also exposed divisions among viewers and critics over its storytelling, dialogue and relentless action. That mixed response has given Varma’s otherwise vague post an obvious target for online interpretation.
For now, however, there is no confirmation from Varma that his “Now watching #Dhurandhar again” post was intended as a response to Toxic. It remains an interpretation by social media users based on the timing and his earlier remarks. What is certain is that the proposed Toxic–Dhurandhar clash may have disappeared from the release calendar, but the conversation surrounding it has clearly not gone away.
What did Ram Gopal Varma say about Dhurandhar and Toxic?
Ram Gopal Varma previously compared Dhurandhar and Toxic in strongly worded posts, arguing that Dhurandhar respected the audience’s intelligence while Toxic presumed otherwise. He also used a David-and-Goliath comparison when discussing the proposed clash.
Why was Toxic postponed?
Toxic was originally scheduled to release on March 19 but was postponed by its makers. The stated reason was the West Asian conflict and its impact on theatrical releases in the Middle East.
Did RGV directly criticise Toxic in his latest post?
No. Varma’s latest post simply said, “Now watching #Dhurandhar again.” He did not mention Toxic or its reviews, although many social media users interpreted the post as a dig at the film.
When did Toxic finally release?
Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups released in multiple languages on August 26, 2026. The film had originally been scheduled for March.
Who stars in Toxic?
The film stars Yash in the lead, with Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth also appearing in the cast. Geetu Mohandas directed the film.
Did Toxic and Dhurandhar actually clash at the box office?
No. The two films were originally scheduled for the same March release date, but Toxic was postponed before the clash could take place. As a result, the much-discussed Yash-Ranveer Singh box-office battle never materialised on that date.
