Shankar was today in Hyderabad to promote '2.0' along with his stars Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar.  

Shankar described the sci-fi movie as a full-fledged action thriller with a soulful and emotional story. "We have not shown the soulful part in the film in the trailer.  There is a hidden story that you will find in the movie," Shankar added.  

"There are thousands of variations in the movie.  The climax was shot for 40 days amid scorching heat of 47 degrees.  We faced a difficulty.  It pertained to Superstar Rajini sir's health. If the shoot is postponed, it would result in great monetary loss.  Keeping all this in view, Rajini sir completed the shoot," Shankar said.

"Akshay sir had never put on so much make-up in any movie before this.  He spent hours on prosthetic make-up and putting on the costumes.  Rahman garu started background score six months before the schedule.  Watch this movie in 3D.  You will enjoy it 10 times more than when you watch it in 2D," Shankar added.  

The director added that '2.0' does have a message.  "It has a global message.  Nowadays everybody uses cell phones," Shankar said.  

Is there romance in the movie?  "It's a full-length actioner.  You have seen romance in the first part.  Here, you are going to see new things," Shankar added.  

What were the difficulties when it comes to shooting in 3D?  "With 3D, you have to shoot only with four lenses.  Even the time taken to shoot is longer by 50 percent.  Steady cam is very difficult as a 3D cam is very heavy," he said.  

Why so much delay?  "We planned for a 2017 release.  But a VFX company couldn't meet the targets.  So, we had to postpone.  During the audio function in Dubai, we were told that the end product will take another one year.  Later, we learned that the company can't handle the finer VFX shots.  We then gave the project to a better company and it has given a satisfactory output," Shankar said.  

What next?  "The director Shankar respects the audience Shankar's expectations.  He always wants to satisfy him," Shankar explained in his style.