Bose said Fauzi teaser trivialises Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and distorts history.
The teaser shows a Berlin 1942 setting with Subhas Chandra Bose, Adolf Hitler and a fictional character called Fauzi.
Fauzi, directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, stars Prabhas. It is scheduled for theatrical release on March 19.
Prabhas-led Fauzi has drawn fresh criticism after Chandra Kumar Bose wrote to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. He asked for strict action over the teaser and said it distorts history. Bose also asked director Hanu Raghavapudi to grasp the "seriousness" of the issue.
What are Netaji's grandnephew's objections against Fauzi?
Bose posted his letter on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday as the criticism around the teaser intensified. Bose is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's grandnephew and a socio-political activist and former BJP vice-president in West Bengal.
The backlash is against the teaser, released on October 23. The same day marked the 83rd Balidan Diwas of revolutionary leader Bhagabati Charan Panigrahi, a Netaji associate.
Bose said the teaser depicts Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose — the Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army and the first Prime Minister of undivided India — in conversation with Adolf Hitler and presenting a fictional character named Fauzi.
In his letter to Vaishnaw, Bose wrote, "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. You are requested to kindly look into this very serious concern and get it investigated. It shall be the right service to the nation if you make sure that this teaser is pulled down and the responsible ones at the Censor Board are punished in an exemplary manner."
He also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called for the teaser to be reworked. "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 @FauziTheMovie. Hope @hanurpudi realises the seriousness," he added.
What's in Fauzi teaser?
The teaser video shows 1942 Berlin, where Subhas Chandra Bose seeks Adolf Hitler’s backing for India’s struggle against British rule.
Hitler says Indians are accustomed to rule. Bose replies with the account of an Indian superspy who helped Japan beat the British and take Singapore.
Bose says the spy also devised a secret code based on the Bhagavad Gita. He added that the agent is now posted in Calcutta.
The clip closes on Prabhas smoking a cigarette and firing a large gun at an unknown target.
The clip sparked criticism for showing Bose and Hitler praising Prabhas' character.
Fauzi is scheduled for a theatrical release on March 19, 2027.
