Prabhas’ upcoming period action film Fauzi has landed in controversy after Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, demanded that the film’s teaser be withdrawn over its portrayal of the historical leader. He has accused the makers of mixing fiction with history and urged director Hanu Raghavapudi and his team to release a revised teaser.
The controversy centres on a dramatised conversation between Netaji and Adolf Hitler in Berlin in 1942. The sequence introduces Prabhas’ fictional character as an Indian spy and strategist whose operations have troubled British intelligence. Chandra Kumar Bose has objected to the way the real freedom fighter is used to establish the fictional protagonist’s importance. The teaser, titled File No 25, was released on October 23, coinciding with Prabhas’ 47th birthday. The debate has since shifted attention from the film’s period-action premise to questions about how historical personalities should be represented in commercial cinema.
Why Did Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Grandnephew Object To The Fauzi Teaser?
On October 26, Chandra Kumar Bose expressed his objection on social media and called on the filmmakers to take down the teaser and replace it with one that does not distort history. “Mixing fiction with history is a crime,” he wrote, urging Hanu Raghavapudi and the production team to reconsider the promotional video. He also appealed to Prabhas to take note of the concerns.
Bose has argued that filmmakers can make films about India’s freedom struggle and portray its revolutionaries, but they must handle historical figures with care. His objection is directed at the way Netaji’s interaction with Hitler is dramatised and used to introduce a fictional character. He has also called for an apology from the director and the makers, saying the portrayal does not adequately reflect the historical context of Netaji’s actions.
What Does The Hitler Scene In Prabhas’ Fauzi Teaser Show?
The teaser opens with a dramatised depiction of Netaji meeting Hitler in Berlin on May 29, 1942, during the Second World War. In the sequence, the two discuss India’s struggle against British rule and the possibility of challenging British power. The conversation then turns to an Indian operative whose intelligence activities allegedly helped disrupt British operations. Netaji describes the character as a soldier, strategist and spy, eventually revealing that the British know him as Fauzi.
The character played by Prabhas is fictional. The dialogue and claims about his intelligence operations are part of the film’s narrative, rather than independently established historical events. The distinction is important because the meeting between Netaji and Hitler was real, while the teaser uses that encounter as a dramatic framework to introduce the film’s central hero. Chandra Kumar Bose’s criticism concerns this blending of documented history with an invented character.
Why Is The Portrayal Of Netaji Being Questioned?
Chandra Kumar Bose has maintained that creative freedom should not come at the expense of historical accuracy, particularly when filmmakers depict national figures associated with India’s independence movement. Netaji met Hitler in the context of his efforts to secure international support for India’s freedom struggle during the Second World War. Bose has argued that this strategic context deserves to be represented accurately, rather than being used primarily to establish the achievements of a fictional character.
The controversy has also raised a wider question about historical films and promotional material: how much dramatic licence can filmmakers take when real personalities and documented events are used to build a fictional story? While critics have questioned the teaser’s presentation, the dispute remains centred on the portrayal and the objections raised by Bose. His criticism should not be confused with a formal historical or legal finding against the film’s makers.
Have The Makers Of Fauzi Responded To The Controversy?
According to the latest report, no official reaction was provided to Chandra Kumar Bose regarding his request to pull back the teaser and apologize. The movie has been directed by Hanu Raghavapudi while Mythri Movie Makers have produced it. It has been presented by T-Series Films. Its cast also includes Imanvi, Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty and Subodh Bhave.
Fauzi will hit theatres on March 19, 2027. As far as the question about the reaction from the side of the producers and the revision of the teaser goes, only time can answer that. For the moment, one thing is sure – the representation of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the movie has become the major focus in the discussion around Fauzi.