The buzz for Rocking Star Yash’s return to the biggest screen after four years of non-reproduction is so stoking that it has reached fever pitch. When Toxic launched its teaser on Jan. 8, 2026 around the actor’s 40th birthday it wasn’t just fashionable it exploded. In 24 hours, the teaser racked up nearly 50 million views on YouTube, a new gold standard for what Indian cinema might consider teasers. As at February 5, "Raya" is crossing over 100 million views across platforms, which means that KGF star's pan-world appeal is more than alive now.
‘Dhurandhar 2’ Teaser Disappointment
Conversely, Aditya Dhar’s teaser from Dhurandhar: The Revenge, released on February 3, 2026, hasn't been able to gain the same momentum. In spite of the huge success of the first film released in December 2025, the teaser for the sequel only saw less than 9 million views in 24 hours. The totals reach an even paltry 11 million, even when aggregated when you consider all dubbed languages.
What makes this “Himalayan” difference, as Kannada cinephiles have dubbed it, was the content. Whereas Toxic released fresh and hip and high budget visuals of Yash, as he steps into his gritty new avatar, the Dhurandhar 2 teaser provoked instant “déjà vu.”
TOXIC 24 Hours from Character Intro Tease
— ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚಾರಿ (@mythicMosaic0) February 4, 2026
48.72M+ Views
1.1M+ Likes#DhurandharTheRevenge Cumulative Teaser in 24 Hours
8.75M+ Views
372.6K+ Likes
Saar saar Most hyped Sequel sar it will break all the records saar #ToxicTheMovie #YashBOSS pic.twitter.com/yE7gFwQwb1
The “Recycled” Visual Controversy
Critics were quick to note that the Dhurandhar 2 teaser is actually very close to an exact recreation of what we already saw in post-credit form in the closing scenes of the first movie. “Scam” memes are coursing through social media, and users have been feeling annoyed that the marketing team just recycled old footage into another “teaser.”
“We were waiting months to get a view of the world, only for an instant of what we already saw on Netflix,” one viral comment read. That digital “craze” for the sequel has been severely dampened by the lack of new footage, which could leave an 80-million-view gap between the two adversaries.
Analysts at March 19 Showdown
Trade are pointing out that while YouTube views do not always translate down 1:1 to box office collections, they are a potent signal of “ground-level buzz.” At present Toxic holds the digital crown by a landslide. With Adivi Sesh's Dacoit in April already setting a date for release to avoid this clash, it puts the stage for a straightforward face-off.
If the trend continues, it seems that, with Yash's dark fairytale overshadowing the "New India" espionage saga when both hit theaters this March.
