Censorship and Changes in Special Ops 2 Highlight Sensitivities Around UPI Reference

Ziya Khan July 18, 2025Last Updated: July 18, 2025

Indian audiences are no strangers to cuts and modifications imposed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on movies, and similar censorship practices have extended to web series as well. The recently released action thriller Special Ops 2 exemplifies this trend.

The series, centered on cyber terrorism, features Tahir Raj Bhasin as the antagonist. According to a source speaking to Bollywood Hungama, “He plays a cybercriminal aiming to access the data of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) users for malicious purposes. A scene mentioning UPI was even included in the original trailer.”

However, changes have been made in the final release. The source revealed, “The term ‘UPI’ has been replaced with ‘OBI’ in the show. The original trailer referencing UPI was withdrawn and replaced with a new promo that also announces the updated release date and uses ‘OBI’ instead.”An industry insider offered insight into the reasons behind these adjustments: “Given the sensitive nature of the topic, the makers likely received directives to avoid mentioning UPI explicitly.

This may also explain why the release date shifted from July 11 to July 18, as the dubbing and edits took additional time.”The insider further noted, “The substitution doesn’t impact the storyline or viewer understanding, as the villain’s intentions remain clear.

It’s worth noting that references to institutions like the Reserve Bank of India and countries such as China were permitted.”Special Ops 2 stars an ensemble cast including Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker, Saiyami Kher, Prakash Raj, Parmeet Sethi, and Muzzamil Ibrahim. The series premiered on July 18 on JioCinema. The first season of Special Ops debuted in 2020, followed by a mini-series titled Special Ops 1.5 in late 2021.