Strange but true: A call to ban Rajinikanth's 2.0

Kollywood has witnessed call for ban on movies on the grounds of disturbing religious harmony on numerous of occasions, but this time a complaint on a movie has been filed with the Censor Board of Film Certification for wrongly depicting cell phones!

Strange but true, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has called for a ban on 2.0 citing that the movie spread misinformation about mobile phones and towers.

"We have requested the Censor Board to revoke the certification already granted including for the teaser, trailer and other promotional video and Tamil language version of the film with immediate effect until such time as CBFC makes a determination on our submission. We have requested that the exhibition of the movie be suspended in the meantime," Gadgets Now quoted Rajan S Mathews, director general, COAI, as saying.

In the teaser and the trailer, it is clearly evident that 2.0 deals with mobile phones. The clips had shown cell phones mysteriously disappearing into the air. According to the COAI, the Rajinikanth-starrer portrays the cell phones and its towers as harmful to living creatures and the environment including birds and human beings, "on account of electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions from them."

Alleging that the movie promotes anti-scientific attitudes, the statement, read, "Constitutes offences under section 268(public nuisance), section 505(statements conducing to public mischief) and section 499(defamation of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC). Stands to prejudice the ongoing proceedings before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in Bhupesh Sehgal and Ors v. DDA and Ors, Civil Appeal No. 2612/2016. It is against the public interest,"

It has to be noted 2.0 has bagged U/A certificate from the censor board.

The call for banning movies is not new to Tamil film industry as the screening of movies like Kamal Haasan's Vishwaroopam and Vijay's Thalaivaa were infamously halted by the AIADMK in the past.

Vijay's movies have often faced the heat from fringe groups.