Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of Subhas Chandra Bose, has demanded the removal of the teaser for Fauzi, claiming it distorts history by mixing fiction with real events. The teaser, featuring a conversation between Bose and Hitler, has sparked controversy, with critics urging the filmmakers to respect historical accuracy.
Days after the first teaser of Hanu Raghavapudi's Prabhas-starrer Fauzi dropped, Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, has demanded that the visual asset be pulled down.
Calling out the British Raj-era period drama, Chandra Kumar Bose warned that "mixing fiction with history is a crime.
The two and a half minute teaser that released on Friday, October 23, begins with a confrontational conversation between Adolf Hitler and Subhas Chandra Bose during World War II.
While Bose expresses his hope for fighting for India's independence, Hitler rebuttals that the war is already lost. And then, Bose tells him about an Indian superspy, who helped Japan beat the British to gain control of Singapore and is currently stationed in Calcutta: Fauzi. The video then gives a glimpse of Prabhas.
Upon its release, the teaser attracted some controversy, including from Indian politicians.
Socio-political leader Suparno Satpathy, the great-grandson of writer Kalindi Charan Panigrahi and the grandson of the former Chief Minister of Odisha, Nandini Satpathy, also posted his thoughts on the teaser's release on X.
The post read, "Dear @hanurpudi Garu, describing in one word this teaser is ‘goosebumps’ ... Mixing fiction with history isn’t a good idea … Nevertheless, best wishes are for the release on 19 Mar ‘2027 Netaji Zindabad !! Jai Hind !! … SS."
Chandra Kumar Bose reposted Satpathy's post, agreeing with him while asking the director and the film's producers, Mythri Movie Makers, to take it down.
His post read, "Mixing fiction with history is a crime. I hope @hanurpudi and his team @fauzithemovie / @MythriOfficial pull down this teaser , put out a new one and make sure that history is not distorted. Hope #Prabhas too gets to read this."
Later, Satpathy also responded to an X page that questioned why a part of the audience is getting offended by the teaser, considering it's a fictional story. He wrote:
"Dear Editor (s) @TheAakashavaani , when a movie is made it impacts generations. Netaji ‘s endorsement of a fictional character is depicting History in a distorted manner. Your’s truly hopes for @hanurpudi Garu to realise the sensitivity … Netaji Zindabad !! Jai Hind !! … SS."
The historical period-drama is set against the backdrop of the British Raj, where Prabhas plays a soldier amid big action scenes combined with romance and emotion. Fauzi also marks the first acting role for the lead actress, Imanvi, alongside Mithun Chakraborty, Jaya Prada, and Anupam Kher in supporting roles. The film will release on March 19, 2027.