The countdown to one of 2026’s biggest box office battles has already begun — and Ram Gopal Varma is making sure it stays noisy. The filmmaker, who has been openly vocal about his admiration for Dhurandhar, has now taken a thinly veiled dig at Yash’s Toxic, which is set to clash with Dhurandhar 2 later this year.
With both films eyeing the March 19, 2026 release window, the face-off is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about theatrical showdowns of the year.
RGV’s “toxic” wordplay sparks chatter
Taking to social media, Ram Gopal Varma dropped a short but loaded line that instantly caught attention. Without naming Yash directly, he hinted that Dhurandhar 2 would overpower its competition, suggesting that its “bite” would be — quite literally — toxic.
The post was widely read as a jab at Yash’s upcoming film, triggering fresh debate among fans of both camps.
Not his first provocation
This isn’t the first time RGV has stirred the pot while praising Dhurandhar. Earlier this week, he posted an even more aggressive note celebrating Aditya Dhar’s film as a counterforce to what he described as the “South Indian invasion” into Bollywood.
In that post, Varma claimed that if the first Dhurandhar scared audiences, the sequel would “terrify” them — strongly implying that competing films would struggle to match its impact.
Why Dhurandhar carries such confidence
Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar emerged as the biggest Hindi film of 2025, smashing expectations after its December 5 release. The Ranveer Singh-led espionage thriller crossed the ₹1,000 crore worldwide mark, cementing its status as a modern blockbuster.
The film follows an Indian spy operating undercover in Pakistan’s Lyari, with Ranveer playing Hamza Ali Mazari aka Jaskirat Singh Rangi, and Akshaye Khanna delivering a widely praised turn as gangster Rehman Dakait. The ensemble cast also includes Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi.
The sequel, Dhurandhar 2, is slated to arrive exactly a year later — on March 19, 2026.
What Toxic brings to the table
On the other side of the clash is Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups, a passion project for Yash, who has co-written the film alongside Geetu Mohandas, who also directs it. Shot simultaneously in Kannada and English, the film is designed as a pan-world release, with dubbed versions planned in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and more.
The cast includes Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, and Nayanthara, whose recently revealed look as Ganga — elegant yet dangerous — added momentum to the film’s buzz. Toxic is produced by KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, and is positioned as a stylised, genre-bending drama rather than a conventional mass entertainer.
A festive box office collision awaits
Both films are targeting the same lucrative festive window, coinciding with Eid, Ugadi, and Gudi Padwa, making the clash unavoidable. While Dhurandhar 2 arrives with massive box office momentum, Toxic banks on Yash’s global fanbase and an unconventional narrative.
Final words
With Ram Gopal Varma already fanning the flames, the Dhurandhar 2 vs Toxic battle has moved beyond release dates and into perception warfare. Whether RGV’s confidence proves prophetic or premature will only be clear once both films hit theatres. Until then, the clash promises fireworks — both on screen and off it.
