Fauzi teaser controversy: Why Subhash Chandra Bose's grandnephew is unhappy

New Delhi: Pan-India actor Prabhas's upcoming Telugu period drama 'Fauzi' teaser was dropped recently, and it has already stirred a controversy. The movie's plot is set during World War II in 1942; Prabhas plays an espionage agent fighting for the Azad Hind Fauj, which built a secret code based on the Bhagavad Gita.

Fauzi teaser controversy: Explained

The Fauzi teaser has stirred a controversy as the first few glimpses show Subhas Chandra Bose in conversation with Adolf Hitler during World War II. It drew public backlash and criticism from Netaji's grandnephew, Chandra Kumar Bose, over its portrayal of Subhas Chandra Bose speaking with Hitler and praising Prabhas's character of a spy.

Directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, the film opens in Berlin in 1942 and features a fictional conversation between Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Adolf Hitler before introducing Prabhas as a superspy fighting British rule.

Chandra Kumar Bose took to his social media handle, wants the filmmakers to take down the teaser for distorting history.

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, posted the teaser of Fauzi on X (formerly Twitter). Chandra Kumar re-posted Satpathy’s post on X, adding to that, “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.” He also added, “Hope #Prabhas too gets to read this.”

The teaser begins with a scene set in Berlin, featuring a conversation between Hitler and Netaji about British rule in India. It then introduces Prabhas as a rebel fighting against the British Empire.

The movie is scheduled to hit the screen on March 19, 2027, in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali, respectively.

About Fauzi Teaser

Fauzi star cast includes Prabhas, Imanvi Esmail, Subodh Bhave (as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose), Sajjad Delafrooz, Mithun Chakraborty, and Anupam Kher. The period drama has been made on an estimated budget of Rs 500–Rs 700 crore.

The film's new title was announced by Prabhas on his 46th birthday on 23 October 2025 and reportedly, the film will be released in two parts followed by a prequel.