In the past 12 years, Kiara Advani portrayed multiple characters, each one different from the other. She has graduated from playing Sakshi Rawat in M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story to Wing Commander Kavya Luthra in War 2. Now, she is retuning on the big screen by playing the savage Nadia in Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups. While talking to Grazia India, the filmmaker revealed that Kiara was always her first choice for the role. Read on!
Geetu Mohandas on casting Kiara Advani in Toxic
After welcoming her baby girl, Saraayah Malhotra, in July 2025, Kiara Advani is returning with a bang with Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups. In a recent interview, the ace South Indian filmmaker revealed what led her to cast the Bollywood actress as the fierce Nadia. Expressing her thoughts, the director stated that the character embodies fragility and ferocity. Hence, Kiara was her first and only choice from the very beginning.
“There is something about her screen presence that feels deeply human. Sometimes cinema begins not with logic, but with a feeling, and casting Kiara was exactly that kind of feeling,” Mohandas opined. Talking about Advani’s quiet process of getting into the deep layers of her character, Geetu divulged that the diva’s dedication is not loud or performative.
But it’s quiet, disciplined, and deeply sincere. The director has observed that Kiara doesn’t just follow directions; she participates in building the emotional architecture of the character. “You can see that she has spent time living with the character in her mind long before the camera starts rolling. But what truly sets her apart is her curiosity, which transforms the filmmaking process into a conversation rather than a one-sided direction,” expressed the National Award-winning filmmaker.
Kiara is known for pushing the envelope and putting her heart and soul into acing the roles she’s playing, and with Toxic, she did the same thing. Playing Nadia demanded a lot, as an actor and as a human being. It pushed the actress physically and emotionally. The Fugly debutant aced her role so well that Geetu could see the character breathing in front of the camera. “As a director, those moments are magical,” concluded the filmmaker, proud and confident about her decision to bring Kiara Advani on board.
For the unaware, Toxic is coming to cinemas on June 4, 2026, with an impressive ensemble cast including Yash, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth, and more.
