New Delhi, Oct. 25 -- Prabhas' upcoming period action film Fauzi has drawn criticism even before its theatrical release, with a section of viewers questioning how it uses one of India's most revered freedom fighters to introduce its fictional protagonist.

Prabhas' upcoming film Fauzi was expected to introduce audiences to a period spy story set against India's struggle for independence. Instead, its first teaser has sparked an online debate, with viewers questioning why one of the country's most prominent freedom fighters appears to spend so much of a conversation with Adolf Hitler praising the film's fictional hero.

Released on 23 October to mark Prabhas' 47th birthday, the teaser opens in Berlin during the Second World War, with Netaj...