'Don't just read reviews': 'Kantara' composer backs Yash's 'Toxic'
What's the story
Ajaneesh Loknath, the music composer for Kantara and Maharaja, has defended the film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups. The movie, starring Yash and Kiara Advani, was released recently but has received negative reviews from critics and audiences. Loknath took to X (formerly Twitter) to urge fans to watch the film in theaters despite its poor reception.
Loknath's defense
'I feel people should go and watch it in theaters...'
Loknath posted a lengthy note, saying, "Don't just read reviews. Experience cinema. I watched Toxic, and I liked it."
"I feel people should go and watch it in theaters. Cinema is a personal experience."
"My taste, my thought process, and my experience can be completely different from someone else's."
"I have seen many films over the years that I enjoyed, even though reviews were negative, and missed some that were actually good, because of bad reviews."
Film critique discussion
He gave 'Lagaan' as an example to explain his point
Loknath also referenced Lagaan, a 25-year-old film that was recently re-released for its 25th anniversary.
He speculated, "I imagined-if it had released today, people would have commented, 'lag', 'boring', and reduced the whole story to, 'there will be a match, India will challenge the British, the match will happen-that's it.'"
"We might have missed a truly great film just because of irresponsible opinions."
He added, "Reviews are opinions, not your experience...Watch it. Experience it. Then decide for yourself."
Film details
All about 'Toxic'
Toxic, a gangster drama directed by Geetu Mohandas and co-written and produced by Yash, was released on August 26.
The film also stars Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, and Rukmini Vasanth.
Despite the negative reviews, the film has earned ₹304.25 crore worldwide, as per Sacnilk.