Yash's Toxic makers get show cause notice for felling trees on forest land

Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre said a show cause notice has been issued to the makers of the movie Toxic in connection with the illegally felling trees

A show cause notice has been issued to officials in connection with the case involving the Kannada film Toxic, said Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre on Monday. Khandre also mentioned that necessary action would be taken after reviewing their replies.

 

According to the minister, the officials had claimed, in an Interlocutory Application (IA) filed in the Supreme Court in 2020, that the forest land which is under the possession of Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) had lost its forest status.

 

He added that they sought denotification approval without obtaining Cabinet permission. The minister has proposed to withdraw the Interlocutory Application (IA). "In the last Cabinet meeting, ex-post facto approval was given to withdraw the IA," the minister added. The filmmakers' responses are awaited, as after reviewing the response the next step will be taken.

 

 

Khadre ordered immediate action against those responsible for the tree-cutting after visiting the site in October 2024. He emphasised that this was a serious violation, stating that hundreds of trees were removed without permission and strict legal repercussions would be sought. 

 

Reportedly, the Toxic film crew was pulled up on October 29, 2024, for felling trees in a reserve forest in Bengaluru’s Peenya Plantation 1 and Plantation 2 to set up a movie set.

 

Canara Bank, which purchased the land from HMT, leased it to the movie crew and had been given on lease, Khandre informed reporters at the Vidhana Soudha on Monday.

 

HMT was shut down due to losses and sold the 160 acres of land to different organisations for Rs 313 crore. As per the certification submitted to the Supreme Court, the value of the land is Rs 14,300 crore.

Khadre said the land would be reclaimed, and a park similar to Cubbon Park or Lalbagh would be developed there.

About Toxic

Toxic is one of the most awaited movies which is jointly produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creation. “Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups" has been directed by Geetu Mohandas.

 

The makers of the movie released the first teaser of the film in a bold and unconventional avatar. In the teaser, Yash could be seen in a crisp white suit, fedora and holding a cigar.

 

Along with Yash, the 'Toxic' movie also features Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, and Huma Qureshi in the lead roles. The action-packed drama is set to hit theatres by the end of this year.