‘Toxic’ marks a striking new chapter in Geetu Mohandas’ life. With decades of acting accolades and films, that won big on the festival circuit, her ‘Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups’ marks a move from critically acclaimed cinema to one of the biggest commercial productions of her career, starring pan-Indian star Yash.The very woman, dismissed infamously as “the girl whose name appears in the director’s credit” by Kamaal R Khan, turns out to be real star at the much-anticipated film’s trailer launch!Yet, in an auditorium full of stars, the first person Geetu mentioned was her ‘Amma’… “I want to start by thanking my Amma (mother) for taking care of my daughter, my child, for all these years, so that her child could fly. As Nayan (Nayanthara) said ‘it’s very, very difficult to leave your family behind’. I have never thanked my mum enough,” she shared as she struggled to hold back tears…Born Gayathri Das, this filmmaker has travelled an unusual distance in Indian cinema. Having started acting at a very young age, she appeared in Malayalam film ‘Onnu Muthal Poojyam Vare’ that won her Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist. She later became a leading star in Malayalam cinema, appearing in numerous films, including ‘Life Is Beautiful’, ‘Akale’, ‘Rappakal’, ‘Bharathan Effect’ and ‘Naalu Pennungal’. Her performance in ‘Akale’ brought her the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam.But acting was only one chapter. In 2009, Mohandas moved behind the camera with ‘Kelkkunnundo’ (‘Are You Listening?’), a short film that announced a very different creative voice. The film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and won the Golden Lamp Tree in the international competition for short films and documentaries at the International Film Festival of India.Her first feature, ‘Liar’s Dice’, established her internationally as a serious filmmaker. The film premiered at Jattvibedance 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 collected two National Awards and major international honours, including awards at Sofia, Pesaro and the Granada Cines del Sur festival.Then came ‘Moothon’, starring Nivin Pauly. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, while Mohandas received the Global Filmmaking Award at Jattvibedance for the story.The next big step is ‘Toxic’…the film has been surrounded by speculation that Yash was actually directing the film behind the scenes. And perhaps the most powerful response to the noise came not through an argument but through her team hailing her as the most ‘present’ director ever!She expressed gratitude to producer Venkat K Narayana and the entire ‘Toxic’ team. She praised the actors as “unbelievably brilliant” and spoke about the enormous invisible labour behind filmmaking and her super amazing crew. “I love you all. Again, all genuine — I mean, I love you all. Just know that I’m going to be with you in your journey whether you like it or not. You know, I’m your call away 2 a.m. I love you guys. And it was a joy. It was an absolute pleasure to have worked and directed all of you.”She choked as she spoke of Yash! ” I’m never ready to say anything about Yash. But everyone I meet, they ask me what it’s like working with Yash. And, I find myself falling short of words …Yash to me is not just my wonderful producer. He’s not just um a brilliant actor, amazing co-writer. Yash to me is an emotion and it’s a very deep emotion. And I don’t know what my path is going to be after this movie, where I’m headed, but I know that one thing’s for certain that I’m going to take a part of you with me. You know, in whatever I create in my life, you’re going to be there in my spirit,” Geetu said, emotionally wrought she fought back tears.That is what makes Geetu Mohandas’s story so compelling. It is not simply about a woman directing a huge star. Or, one of the first Indian woman directors taking the helm of a gangster saga. Or, even her calling the shots on one of the most expensive films India has ever made. It is a filmmaker, a mother who has spoken openly about the sacrifices behind her work, a critically acclaimed director stepping into a massive commercial universe, and a creative partnership that she speaks of with deep warmth and admiration.The trailer may belong to the spectacle of ‘Toxic’. But behind it stands Geetu Mohandas — the woman whose name is on the director’s credit, and whose journey to that credit began long before Yash entered the picture…