Director Geetu Mohandas, who helms the highly anticipated film 'Toxic: A Fairytale For Grown Ups' starring Yash in the lead, opened up about a piece of advice from her father that she says has guided her through every phase of her life and career. She made the revelation at the film's pre-release event held in Chennai on 25 August.

A Journey That Started at Four

Reflecting on her path in cinema, Geetu told the audience, 'I'm just sort of jogging my memory back to cinema. I started when I was four-and-a-half years old in cinema. From where I started and where I'm standing right now, I was just going through my journey.' The admission offered a rare, candid window into the decades-long road that brought her to one of the most talked-about pan-India productions of the year.

The Admission: 'I Was a Complete Failure'

In a moment of striking honesty, Geetu described her early years as anything but promising. 'I was a very bad student. I used to constantly fail in school. I was never picked for anything, for basketball or whatever. I think I was a complete failure,' she said. It was against this backdrop that her father's words proved transformative.

Recalling the exchange, she said her father asked her, 'What do you want to do? Looks like you're failing. What do you want to be?' When she replied that she wanted to be a baker, his response was simple and lasting: 'Make sure you're the best baker in town.' That single line, she explained, became her compass — a reminder to pursue excellence in whatever she chose, regardless of what others thought.

The 'Horse on Blinkers' Philosophy

Geetu described the mindset she carried forward from that conversation as one of singular focus. 'I'm not going to listen to the noise. I'm not going to let anyone bog me down. I need to just get there,' she said, likening herself to a horse wearing blinkers — blocking out distraction and moving only toward the goal ahead. Notably, this philosophy appears to have been tested repeatedly in a film industry that rarely makes room for unconventional voices.

Yash: The First Voice That Believed

The director reserved her most emotional words for Yash, crediting him as the catalyst who changed how the industry perceived her. 'Today, I can say that of all the people in the world, in my journey, from when I was a little girl till I'm standing here, Yash believed in me,' she said. She elaborated on the ripple effect of that belief: 'When someone claps, the world will clap if that clap is believable. And when he believed, everyone started believing in me. Everyone. And it became like a chain reaction. And I will never forget that first voice.'

The remarks underline how pivotal star-driven endorsement remains in shaping directorial careers in Indian cinema, particularly for women directors crossing into big-budget territory. 'Toxic: A Fairytale For Grown Ups' is now gearing up for release, with expectations running high on the back of the film's distinctive title and the Geetu–Yash collaboration.