Akshay Oberoi Defends Toxic Amid Negative Talk and Trolling

• Akshay Oberoi said the negativity surrounding Toxic has not affected him.
• Oberoi described the Yash-led film as a bold spectacle and said he remains proud of it.
• He credited filmmaker Siddharth Anand with helping him land his role as Tony.
• Toxic released in theatres on August 26, 2026, and has received mixed reviews.
• Oberoi said working with Yash encouraged him to explore writing and develop his own projects.

Akshay Oberoi has defended Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups amid the mixed response to the Yash-led film, saying he has not allowed criticism or pre-release negativity to affect his view of the project. Oberoi, who plays Tony, a stylish gangster and the brother of Huma Qureshi’s Elizabeth, said he remains proud of the film and its theatrical performance.

Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic released in theatres on August 26, 2026. The psychological thriller-gangster drama, co-written by Mohandas and Yash, also stars Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth.

Speaking to NDTV, Oberoi said the film’s commercial performance has been a particularly significant experience for him. He noted that his films had not previously reached comparable single-day earnings and said the numbers represented a major personal victory.

Oberoi has also pushed back against questions about the criticism surrounding the film. Rather than engaging with reviews, he said he views the project separately from its reception and remains satisfied with the work that went into making it.

“I think we made a great film, and we put our sweat, blood and tears into it.”

He described Toxic as “bold” and a spectacle with its own identity, adding that its significance to him extends beyond the eventual box-office result.

Oberoi Says Pre-Release Negativity Did Not Affect Him

The actor was also asked about the negative publicity surrounding Toxic before its release, including claims from some fans that the film faced a coordinated negative campaign.

Oberoi said such discussions did not concern him and that his experience in the industry had taught him not to spend energy on speculation around a film. He argued that once a movie reaches theatres, audiences can form their own judgments.

He also said he believed the film’s team, including Mohandas, Yash and the marketing team, largely maintained the same approach: allow the finished film to speak for itself.

In another interview with SCREEN, Oberoi said the response to Toxic had been striking because of the scale of its audience interest. He called it a “beautiful spectacle” and said Indians around the world could take pride in the ambition of the production.

Siddharth Anand Helped Bring Oberoi to Toxic

Oberoi credited filmmaker Siddharth Anand for indirectly opening the door to his role in Toxic.

The actor said he had previously worked with Anand on the web series Flesh and later appeared in Anand’s Fighter. According to Oberoi, Mohandas watched Fighter in theatres, saw his performance and subsequently contacted him about Toxic.

Oberoi said he had already admired Mohandas’ work, citing her films Liar’s Dice and Moothon, and had wanted to collaborate with her.

Yash Inspired Oberoi to Explore Writing

The experience of working with Yash has also influenced Oberoi’s ambitions beyond acting. He said watching Yash’s involvement in curating and developing his projects made him consider taking greater control over his own creative work.

Oberoi revealed that he is working with filmmaker Shanker Raman, director of Gurgaon, on a project that remains in the writing and ideation stage. He said he hopes to contribute to a film from its earliest stages and potentially write as well as act in it.

For Oberoi, that ambition reflects a broader lesson from his career: rather than waiting for ideal opportunities, he believes actors should make the most of the roles available to them.

His comments come as Toxic continues its theatrical run following its August 26 release, with the film’s audience response now shaping the wider conversation around Mohandas and Yash’s ambitious gangster drama.