Netaji's grandnephew demands the teaser be withdrawn, saying the film distorts the 1942 meeting with Hitler.
Chandra Kumar Bose, the grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, has asked the makers of Fauzi to pull the teaser that dropped on October 23. He posted on X that mixing fiction with history is a crime and urged director Hanu Raghavapudi to release a revised version that respects the record.
The teaser, titled File No 25, was unveiled to mark Prabhas's 47th birthday and runs just over two minutes. Its opening sequence recreates a 1942 meeting between Netaji and Hitler in Berlin, then uses their conversation to introduce Prabhas's fictional character as a spy, soldier and strategist who poses a serious challenge to British intelligence.
That narrative choice is what triggered the objection. Bose, a socio-political activist and former BJP vice-president in West Bengal, argued that filmmakers are free to portray the freedom struggle and its leaders on screen, but creative storytelling should not come at the expense of historical accuracy. He alleged the teaser presents a misleading version of Netaji's interaction with Hitler and diminishes the freedom fighter's stature.
Speaking to IANS on Sunday, Bose said Netaji approached the meeting with a strategic understanding of the international situation during the Second World War. He recognised that Germany's Hitler and Japan's Hideki Tojo could provide assistance to India's freedom movement at that juncture. The disputed scene shows Netaji speaking to Hitler about an Indian superspy who has troubled the British and helped Japan gain control of Singapore.
The conversation also refers to a code inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, presented as a powerful tool against British intelligence. Bose called that a distortion. Socio-political leader Suparno Satpathy shared the teaser on X, praising its impact while cautioning against combining fictional storytelling with real historical figures in a way that could mislead viewers.
He argued that films can influence generations and that showing Netaji endorsing a fictional character could leave audiences with an inaccurate impression of historical events. His post amplified the debate and drew more attention to Bose's demand. The controversy centres on how the teaser uses the meeting between Netaji and Hitler to establish Prabhas's character.
While critics have questioned the portrayal of the freedom fighter, supporters have argued that Fauzi is a work of fiction. Mythri Movie Makers, the production house behind the film, has not issued a statement. The director has also stayed silent on the specific objection. The film is still slated for a March 2027 release, but the controversy may force a teaser revision before the next promotional push.
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