Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, starring Yash in the lead, arrived in theatres this Wednesday amid considerable anticipation. However, the film received mixed-to-lukewarm reactions from audiences and critics, with several aspects of the movie becoming fodder for online trolling. Actress Rukmini Vasanth has particularly found herself at the centre of unwanted attention over a scene in the film that merely hints at intimacy.Rukmini plays Mellisa, a character who enters the narrative considerably later than the film’s other female characters. Her first interaction with Yash’s Raya is driven by an intention to hurt him. Their relationship subsequently takes a romantic turn, and the two eventually become lovers. While their intimacy is suggested in the story, the film does not explicitly show a kissing or love-making sequence involving the actress. The storyline later establishes that Mellisa and Raya have a child together.Despite the scene being largely suggestive rather than explicit, some sections of social media reacted strongly to Rukmini’s role. Trolls questioned her decision to take on the character, with comments including, “Rukmini didn’t expect this from you,” and “Rukmini Vasanth is a kind of girl, who gives the vibe of “Wife Material” attire for many boys, most of men wouldn’t have seen or thought about her in sexual or physical way of mindset.”Another post attempted to explain the reaction through the image audiences have built around the actress, stating, “She’s the one, who makes us feel so comfortable with her presence & purity, couldn’t able to digest for the role she has accepted in #Toxic, she has not done that glamorous in the movie like Kiara, but still this impact is not accepted or crossed easily.” Memes depicting people crying were also shared in response to Rukmini’s perceived intimate moment.The online backlash, however, was met with an equally strong response from Rukmini’s supporters, who criticised the comments and the expectations being placed on the actress. One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “There is no kissing or love-making scene for #RukminiVasanth in #Toxic. These people are making unnecessary comments like, “We didn’t expect this from you.” It’s all just impression-begging. Btw, @rukminitweets, you should’ve never done this s**tty film,”Others took a more mocking approach towards the trolls. “Rukmini pls do more roles like this it feels so good to watch these incels cry lol,” one fan posted. Another wrote, “Imagine crying online bcs an actress who didn’t even know u existed didn’t check with ur moral compass first. Clown behavior.”The broader issue of celebrity fandom and the expectations audiences place on actors was also highlighted. “This mental illness of creating parasocial relationships with celebrities is something that needs to be studied,” one X user remarked.Another user directly challenged the notion of describing Rukmini as ‘wife material’, writing, “Wow.. Such an insane toxicity from this tweet. You want a wife with “purity” and not “sexual”. And then what? She has to be cute, obedient, and walk on tiptoes?”Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups features a large ensemble cast, with Yash and Rukmini Vasanth joined by Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi and Tara Sutaria. Although the film has faced criticism since its theatrical release, it has reportedly crossed the ₹100 crore mark domestically and earned more than ₹140 crore worldwide.
