Superstar Yash's upcoming film Toxic has grabbed massive attention, and alongside the star, its director Geetu Mohandas has also become a major talking point. Having won numerous awards and critical acclaim in her career for directing socially relevant and human-centric films, she has now shifted gears to direct a macho, intense cinematic venture. This transition has led many to question whether she is merely using major heroines as mere subjects or if their screen time and character arcs will hold substantial weight. This marks Geetu's first major commercial directorial debut, for which she has chosen a massive superstar like Yash.
Geetu Mohandas was born with the name Gayathri Das. She started her career in the film industry as a child artist before transitioning into adult roles and adopting the screen name Geetu. She primarily worked in Malayalam cinema. Her politically charged film Liar's Dice won two National Film Awards and was even chosen as India's official entry for the 87th Academy Awards, though it did not advance further in the race.
Having been in the acting profession for decades, Geetu started working as a child artist back in the 1980s. In the year 2000, she made her debut as a leading lady in Mohanlal's film Life Is Beautiful. Subsequently, she appeared in movies like Thenkasi Pattanam, Valkannadi, and Nammal Thammil. Her acting prowess brought her major accolades in 2004 when she bagged the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Malayalam) for the film Akale.
Following her acting stint, Geetu Mohandas ventured into production by launching her own banner named Unplugged in 2009. Her very first production was a short film titled Kelkkunnundo, which she also directed and premiered at an international film festival.
However, Geetu truly caught everyone's attention with her feature-length directorial debut. She directed Liar's Dice starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, which won Geetanjali Thapa the National Film Award for Best Actress and Rajeev Ravi the award for Best Cinematography, while also earning widespread critical praise for Geetu's direction.
Later, in 2019, Geetu Mohandas directed Moothon, which achieved box office success and had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Now, Toxic stands as her third feature film as a director. Given that her previous works were rooted in strong social themes and independent cinema, some critics and viewers have questioned her artistic shift toward an action-heavy and bold-themed commercial film.
While some of these questions will find answers only after the film's release, a director of Geetu's caliber needed a superstar like Yash to transition into pan-India commercial cinema, along with an ensemble of leading heroines to anchor such content. It remains to be seen how effectively she delivers on this intense, masala-driven format. Advance booking numbers for Toxic strongly hint toward a bumper opening. If the film delivers on its promise, it could enjoy a long theatrical run and establish itself as the biggest commercial success of Geetu's career, overshadowing all initial skepticism with box office numbers.
On the personal front, Geetu Mohandas was born in Kochi on June 8, 1981. She completed her education in India, Malaysia, and Canada. She has a brother who resides in the United States. In 2009, she tied the knot with noted cinematographer Rajeev Ravi, and the couple has a daughter together.
Rajeev Ravi is a prominent figure in the film industry, having worked extensively across Hindi and Malayalam cinema. Along with being a celebrated cinematographer, he is also a director and producer. He made his Bollywood debut as a cinematographer with Madhur Bhandarkar's acclaimed film Chandni Bar. He also won a National Film Award alongside his wife for Liar's Dice. His illustrious credit list in Hindi cinema spans across films like Dev.D, Gulaal, 99, Gangs of Wasseypur Part 1 and 2, Bombay Talkies, Mukkebaaz, Bell Bottom, Selfiee, and Maharaj.
