The release campaign for Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has turned into a conversation about an old Bollywood habit: treating an actress’s intimate scenes as if they require a husband’s permission, or at least a public explanation.
Kiara Advani addressed the backlash during Koffee With Karan Season 9, where she appeared with Sidharth Malhotra. The objections began after the release of Tabaahi, a song from the film that features intimate scenes between Advani and Yash. Some social media users criticised her, and the conversation quickly pulled in her marriage and motherhood.
What Sidharth said
On the episode, Advani made it clear that Malhotra had not objected to her scenes with Yash.
“He had not cared about it. He has never brought it up. We have never spoken about it. It did not affect him, he was not bothered,” she said.
The statement undercuts the premise of much online speculation. Advani added that she does not feel the need to justify her work or explain her choices to others, while also acknowledging those who called out the hypocrisy in the criticism.
An old double standard
On the couch, Karan Johar made the point that married male actors rarely face the same level of scrutiny for intimate scenes. Advani then connected the episode to a longer pattern.
“It has been happening now for donkey years, for decades. From Aishwarya to so many wonderful actors,” she said.
That reference matters for Hindi cinema watchers: it places the Toxic row alongside decades of public judgement about actresses’ relationships, marriages and on-screen performances. The reaction was not about the film’s craft or story; it was about a woman’s private life being made relevant to her professional choices.
The film itself
Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is set in post-independence Goa and follows a gangster story. Yash plays Raya and his son Rumi; Advani plays Nadia, Rumi’s mother.
Advani has described the part as a defining one. She also said she was initially disappointed by the response during the film’s first weekend, despite a strong opening, and reflected on stepping outside her comfort zone for the project.
What the conversation clarifies
- Sidharth Malhotra did not object to the scenes and never raised them with Advani.
- Advani said she feels no compulsion to explain the work she chooses.
- The backlash pulled her marriage and motherhood into the conversation.
- She placed the scrutiny in a lineage that includes Aishwarya Rai.
The episode is a reminder that on-screen intimacy remains professional work, and that Hindi cinema’s standards for men and women are still not the same.
Source: India Weekly
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