Is Toxic director Geetu Mohandas the first Indian filmmaker to helm a Rs 600 crore film?

Filmmaker Geetu Mohandas is set to make history with her upcoming action thriller Toxic. Backed by a powerful ensemble that includes Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, and Rukmini Vasanth, the highly anticipated film is reportedly made on a budget of Rs 600 crore to Rs 850 crore, making it one of the most expensive Indian films ever made. If the reports are true, Mohandas will become the first Indian filmmaker to helm a project of this scale, surpassing the budgets of several blockbuster sagas directed by the likes of SS Rajamouli, Om Raut, Nag Ashwin, and others.

Is Geetu Mohandas the first Indian director to make a film with a budget of Rs 600 crore?

According to a report by Manorama Online, Geetu Mohandas is set to become the first Indian director to make a film with a budget of Rs 600 crore. The media house also traces her journey from a child artist to an Indian filmmaker who has made one of the most expensive Indian films in history.

Began her career as a child artist

According to Manorama Online, Geetu Mohandas began her acting career as a child artist, and her first film was Onnumuthu Poojyam Vare, which did not perform well at the box office.

Reportedly, Mohandas also played lead roles in films such as Sayamsandhya, Veendum, and Raariram. However, none of them performed well at the box office, leading her to step away from films for some time.

Later, in 2000, Mohandas returned as an adult lead in Life Is Beautiful, directed by Fazil. Portraying compelling roles, she cemented her place as a prominent leading lady in Malayalam and Tamil cinema with hits like Thenkasi Pattanam, Kalyanaraman, and Valkannadi.

Debut as a filmmaker

The reports further add that after stepping away from acting, Geethu Mohandas returned to the film industry as a director in 2009 with the short film Kelkkunnundo?. The film won a National Film Award for Best Short Fiction Film.

She then came with her first feature film, Liar's Dice, which garnered her global recognition as a filmmaker. The film premiered at Sundance and Rotterdam, received the Hubert Bals Fund for development, and became India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 87th Academy Awards. It also won two national awards and major international honours.

She then came up with Moothon, starring Nivin Pauly, Sanjana Dipu, Shashank Arora, and Sophita Dhulipala. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, while Mohandas received the Global Filmmaking Award at Sundance for its unique narrative.

The media house also claims that Geethu's big step is now her new film, Toxic. She has assembled Hollywood technicians for the upcoming film, and it has reportedly been made on a scale that can compete with English films. According to reports, the film is widely considered to go beyond what is expected from a director who started out by making offbeat films.

The multilingual action thriller is set for a global release on August 26, 2026.