Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, has sought an investigation into how the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) cleared the teaser of Prabhas-starrer Fauzi.
In a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, he has demanded that the teaser be withdrawn and action taken against the officials responsible for clearing it.
“We take strong offence to this trivialisation of Netaji. We also fail to understand as to how could the Censor Board clear such an objectionable content,” Bose wrote in the letter.
The teaser depicts Netaji meeting Adolf Hitler in Berlin during the Second World War. During their conversation, Netaji praises a fictional Indian soldier and spy, played by Prabhas. While the meeting between Netaji and Hitler did take place in 1942, the conversation about Prabhas’s character is fictional.
Besides seeking the teaser’s withdrawal and an investigation into its certification, Bose wants the content corrected before it is released again.
He also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his X post, saying he had no objection to Prabhas or the rest of the film’s team if his concerns were addressed.
“The teaser of Fauzi ought to be pulled down, corrected and released again. Should our concern regarding Netaji be resolved (for the teaser as well as for the Movie), my best wishes go out for #Prabhas and the entire team,” he wrote.
Bose first raised the issue on Monday, accusing director Hanu Raghavapudi of altering the portrayal of Netaji’s meeting with Hitler. He also called on the filmmakers to apologise to the people of India.
Fauzi is a Telugu period action film directed by Raghavapudi, who previously made Sita Ramam. The film also stars Imanvi, Mithun Chakraborty, Jaya Prada and Anupam Kher. Produced by Mythri Movie Makers, it is scheduled for release on 19 March 2027.
The filmmakers have not publicly responded to Bose’s letter so far.
(Edited By Raunaq Lekhi)