‘I Never Stick to the Script’: Geetu Mohandas’ Old Interview Resurfaces Amid Toxic Backlash

Image: Collected

An old interview of Toxic director Geetu Mohandas has resurfaced on social media following the film’s release and the criticism it has received from a section of the audience.

Starring Yash in the lead role, Toxic was released in theatres on August 26. The film reportedly opened with a global gross of Rs 140 crore.

Amid the ongoing reactions, a clip from a 2019 interview with Film Companion South has gone viral. In the interview, Mohandas discussed her unconventional approach to writing and making films, revealing that she does not necessarily follow the script she initially develops.

“I have no idea in my writing about where I am going. My process is quite crazy, erratic, and I arrive at it later. I don’t arrive at it right away. I don’t know the beginning, middle, end, the structure,” she said.

Speaking about Toxic, which she was working on at the time, Mohandas said she had brought writers into the process for the first time. She jokingly claimed that the writers had “given up” on her because of her approach to filmmaking.

She also explained that she does not usually provide narrations because the final film can differ significantly from what was originally written.

“I write something, I shoot something else, I edit something else, and then the film is out. Then I’m happy. I never stick to the script,” Mohandas said.

She further recalled telling producers that what they would eventually see would not necessarily be the same as what they had read in the script.

Following the resurfacing of the interview, several social media users used her earlier comments to criticise and mock the director over the response to Toxic. One user claimed that the production house had been warned about her filmmaking approach, while another joked that “she even warned us.”

A third user commented on the remarks, writing, “These are a director’s words. Wow!”

Toxic: A Fairytale For Grown-Ups is a period gangster action drama set against the backdrop of Goa. The film is directed by Geetu Mohandas and stars Yash alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. It is produced by KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations.