Raj B Shetty’s Toby cleared with U/A certification; all set for August 25 release

For quite a while, actor-filmmaker Raj B Shetty has been saying that his next, Toby, is quite unlike his earlier Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, even though, the trailer seemed to have similar elements, especially in terms of violence. But the fact the film has been awarded a U/A censor certification, making it apt for family viewing, as against GGVV’s A certificate, should allay all doubts. A little while ago, Basil AL Chalakkal, the film’s debutant director shared the news of the censor clearance, which, in effect means that Toby is now ready for its theatrical outing. The film is set to release in theatres on August 25, with KVN Productions presenting it in Karnataka.

The film, meanwhile, is based on a short story by TK Dayanand, which Raj took and modified extensively, picking only a few characters, including the title role, and the setting of the tale – Kumta – to give it his own interpretation. Raj’s regular collaborators Praveen Shriyan and Midhun Mukundan were back for the cinematography and music, while the cast comprised names like Gopalkrishna Deshpande, Samyukta Hornad, Chaithra J Achar, Bharat GB, Deepak Shetty, among others.

All about Toby: Toby 2023: Release date, trailer, plot, cast, budget, behind the scenes, OTT partner and more

Toby, according to the trailer, is a tale of a simpleton, with a bit of a violent streak, who settles for a quiet life of domesticity, only to have him evolve into an avenging avatar owing to certain circumstances in his life. Raj, though, has said that the plot that seems apparent in the trailer is far from what the story actually is and that cutting the trailer in such fashion was quite the task for him. However, what he has reiterated time and again is that Toby is nothing like GGVV and that it is a character-driven commercial film, wherein audiences will root for the characters. Also, while GGVV was a class film disguised as a mass entertainer, this time around, Raj has gone all out with massy elements that he says will ensure several whistle-worthy moments.

Read also: Raj B Shetty: Toby is a mass film that will have audiences rooting for the characters