Lionsgate Teams Up With Indian Action Star Yash to Promote Its Theatrical Slate
Lionsgate has struck a promotional partnership with Indian action star Yash and his production company Monster Mind Creations, tasking the actor with amplifying campaigns for select Lionsgate theatrical releases — including the upcoming John Rambo and the John Wick spinoff Caine — across India and diaspora communities worldwide. The deal was announced on 26 August 2026 Deadline.
India is the world's fourth-largest film market, and Lionsgate wants a bigger piece of it. Adam Fogelson, Chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, called India the fastest-growing cinema marketplace in the world and described Yash as a global action draw. The logic is straightforward: Yash carries more than 25 million followers across his personal social handles and company platforms, and Lionsgate wants that reach pointed at its titles.
The partnership was negotiated by Anugrah Joshi, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group's EVP of International Business Strategy, and Yash's agent Avinash Bidaia. Lions Gate India, Inc. — a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. — already anchors the studio's presence in the country, per an SEC subsidiary filing.
Yash is a Filmfare Award winner best known for the KGF franchise, along with Kannada-language hits Masterpiece, Santhu Straight Forward, Mr and Mrs Ramachari, Gajakesari, Raja Huli and Googly. His upcoming slate is busy. Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups opens in wide release across North America on 26 August 2026 through Prime Media, with Lionsgate distributing the film across select international territories. The film was shot simultaneously in Kannada and English, with dubbed versions for Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam release. Action choreography comes from J.J. Perry, the stunt coordinator behind the John Wick and Fast & Furious films. Trailers and teasers for Toxic have racked up 340.9 million views since their debut.
Beyond Toxic, Yash's Sony film Ramayana is set for a global release on 6 November 2026.
What makes this partnership worth watching is the timing. Lionsgate is lining up two action-heavy franchises — John Rambo and the Caine spinoff — and betting that a single face can help them break through in a market where Hollywood titles have historically struggled to match local-language blockbusters. Yash's own films, particularly the KGF series, have shown that Indian action cinema can cross language barriers and travel globally. Now Lionsgate is flipping that equation: using an Indian star's credibility to sell Hollywood action back to Indian audiences — and to the diaspora beyond.
For fans, the deal means Yash's social channels will become a pipeline for Lionsgate's upcoming action slate, and his involvement with Toxic — already in theatres — offers a first look at how the partnership works in practice.
