Responding to the Cellular Operators Association of India’s (COAI) accusations against the film 2.0, the CBFC has issued a statement saying that the film has been examined and certified, and that it should be treated as a work of fiction
Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; November 29, 2018)

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had demanded a ban on Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar-starrer 2.0 (releasing today), as they accused the film of promoting “obscurantist and anti-scientific attitudes towards mobile phones, towers and mobile services.” They also wanted the teaser, trailer and promotional videos of the film to be withdrawn immediately from the public domain. They also added, “The movie falsely depicts mobile phones and mobile towers as harmful to living creatures and the environment, including birds and human beings.” In a letter addressed to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoI), the COAI had asked that the certification granted to the film for public screening be revoked. Tushar Karmarkar, Regional Officer (RO) of the CBFC, Mumbai, in a statement to Bombay Times said, “Recently, some complaints have been received about the film 2.0. In this context, it is being clarified that the CBFC has already examined the film in the light of guidelines issued by Govt. under Section 5B(2) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the film has been certified under ‘UA’ category subject to certain modifications. The film carries a disclaimer mentioning that it is purely a work of fiction. Further, the disclaimer states that the filmmakers do not claim their film to be valid on grounds of any technical facts.”

Meanwhile, reacting to the accusations, the film’s co writer B Jeyamohan said that the allegation by mobile service providers is based on some misinformation. “The allegation is not true. The movie is based on pucca imagination,” he stated and added that rather than revealing the actual storyline, he’d want everyone to watch the film in theatres and decide for themselves.