Comedian Samay Raina mocks Toxic's box-office run, Huma Qureshi fires back

Comedian Samay Raina took a dig at the box-office performance of Yash's Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups when actor Huma Qureshi appeared on India's Got Latent. His joke prompted Huma to hit back by referring to the film's title, setting off an exchange about viewership, hate-watching and its steamy trailer.

Huma played Elizabeth in Geetu Mohandas' directorial, which also stars Yash, Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Rukmini Vasanth and Tara Sutaria. Despite its large budget and star cast, the film underperformed at the box office and failed to cross Rs 350 crore. It also drew criticism for its violence, sensual scenes, portrayal of women and lack of emotional depth.

During the episode, Samay told Huma, "Usually people come on India's Got Latent, and then their movie flops. You're the first one to flop a movie and then show up here."

Huma responded, "Dude, I just acted in a movie named Toxic, you're literally toxic in life." Samay replied, "But at least people watch me."

Huma pointed out that hate-watching also contributes to high viewership numbers these days. Samay joked that the same could apply to Toxic and recalled seeing several sex scenes in the film's trailer.

Continuing the exchange, Huma said Samay was well-spoken while inviting guests to the show but started spitting out poison during the episode.

Toxic's release and reception

Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic was released in theatres on August 26. India Today gave the film two stars.

A part of the review read, "Geetu Mohandas misses the mark by a mile with Toxic. For all the confidence she displayed in the various speeches leading up to the release, and given the expectations of audiences who loved her work in Moothon and Liar's Dice, Toxic comes across as a major let-down."

The film made headlines for its intimate scenes and sequences that portrayed women unfavourably through imagery and dialogue. The Central Board of Film Certification cleared it with an A certificate and no cuts. It also faced criticism over its violence, sensual scenes and lack of emotional depth.