Movies are usually not taken seriously no matter how significant and timely a theme they choose to address. And the reason is not far to seek. Movies are considered to be a means of mass entertainment, the sole purpose being to earn money through storytelling, no matter how sincere the filmmaker is about the message that is intended to be conveyed. Rajinikanth’s Robot 2.O is also of the same genre as far as moviegoers are concerned. But the fact is that it makes a lot of sense for human life given the theme the film wishes to talk about. However, it would be at best discussed as either one of the costliest among the non-English films by production cost or the box office collections that it makes. But as we approach this new year and embrace fresh perspectives, the film seems to drive a very pertinent and timely point home. Though not an avid movie watcher, I got the opportunity to see the film, courtesy the owner of the cinema hall exhibiting the movie. Despite my reluctance, he insisted that I  watch it. I acceded out of courtesy rather than desire and expected to watch a typical masala movie with lots of action and drama. But, it turned out to be a rather sensible and serious movie with lot of substance and style. The message that the film tries to convey is that because of the rate at which smartphones are penetrating India, disaster is not very far. The film tries to convey this message and in a very powerful way through an ornithologist and activist played effectively by Akshay Kumar. The timely warning is that because of the greed of the mobile service providers to get more and more customers, regulations and caution are often thrown to wind and that that could very well result in the undoing of humanity. The issue is raised very scientifically by stating that the increasing numbers of mobile towers and the resultant rise in the concentration of radiation is a cause of the fast depletion of several bird species. The assertion is irrefutable for anyone who has been observing the vanishing of some of the common household birds like sparrows which are hardly visible these days. Moreover, the disappearance of birds also has cyclical repercussions that are capable of bringing misery. These birds do a very crucial scavenging job by eating the insects that harm plants and crops, leading to more and more use of chemicals that eventually harm human beings. The counter view that is being shown is also very effectively presented as to how human intelligence is not ready to accept the possibility of this threat due to its own indulgence. In light of the statistics that are available, the warning is perfectly timed. With half-a-billion internet users, 100 million internet consumers and over 300 million video-on-phone watchers, Indians will likely be the largest mobile consumers in the world as the perks that come with cheap smartphones are quite alluring. That mobile is becoming an addiction across age and gender needs no validation. We are abusing rather than using mobile phones. The answer the film suggests may be extreme as doing away with mobile phones is not possible, but there is need to create awareness that life is possible without mobile phones. The rate at which we are accelerating mobile use, the day is not far when there will be no life.

Pathak is a professor of management, writer, and an acclaimed public speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com