Toxic’s ‘Ladies & Ladies’ promo showcases fierce Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, but trips on self-important dialogues

Dubai: Yash's upcoming action film Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups has dropped a new promotional video titled Ladies & Ladies, shining the spotlight on its impressive female cast. But while the visuals ooze style and the women look undeniably fierce, the nearly four-minute English-language promo tries a little too hard to sound profound.

It kicks off with an elaborate disclaimer telling kids, parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents to stay away before launching into a brooding voiceover about love turning women into monsters. The philosophical musings are delivered with such gravity that they begin to feel more pretentious than provocative, making the promo far wordier than it needs to be.

Visually, though, there's plenty to admire. Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth and Huma Qureshi are each introduced through lavishly designed, gothic-inspired set pieces that make them look powerful and enigmatic. From vanity mirrors and fire-breathers to smoky lounges and leather-clad gangs, every frame is meticulously crafted.

The teaser eventually shifts into action mode as Yash's character, Raya, prepares for an all-out brawl, delivering the punchline: "Do you want to come one at a time... or all together?" What follows is a barrage of slickly choreographed punches, broken glass and stylised mayhem.

Unfortunately, the promo's obsession with sounding deep occasionally overshadows what it's actually trying to sell. Instead of letting its striking visuals and charismatic cast do the talking, it leans heavily on long-winded voiceovers and grand statements that come across as more self-important than insightful.

Shot simultaneously in Kannada and English, Toxic will also release in dubbed Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam versions. Backed by KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, the film is slated to hit cinemas on August 26.