‘No one believed in Hanuman Ansh, declared flop on day 8’: Producer on miracle that saved it

After successfully running for 62 days at the box office and earning over Rs 425 crore, Hanuman Ansh has emerged as more than a film — it has become a moment in India’s cinematic history, a lot like Jai Santoshi Maa that once gave competition Sholay back in the day. The devotional film, based on Neem Karoli Baba, was made on a budget of a shade less than Rs 2 crores. Amid its massive commercial success, SCREEN spoke to its co-producer, Anupriya Nagar, about its trajectory at the ticket windows, and how that Hanuman Ansh has been planned as a trilogy. It has also become the catalyst for Anupriya, who is 22, to write a book on it and set up a production house.

Anupriya Nagar on the success of Hanuman Ansh

The film, which started its journey with Rs 10 lakh collection, has emerged as the best return on investment seen in the Hindi film industry in decades. Talking about this feat, Anupriya shared, “To be very honest, I didn’t become a part of this film for it to become a financial project, for me it was an emotional project. There were no expectations. Even the team never expected the film to do so well. We just wanted the devotees and kids to watch the film and learn about Indian culture. The first two weeks, the film didn’t work at all, and on the eighth day, the industry declared the film a flop. We became a little nervous and thought, ‘If devotees are not supporting us, how will the rest of the audience watch the film?'”

Also Read: A 21-year-old gave up Zurich job to fund Hanuman Ansh, earned Rs 50 cr on Rs 50 lakh share

“We knew that this film would only work through word-of-mouth since it had no known faces, a first-time director. While Maharajji is the biggest superhero of the film, from a general perspective, this was the thought. Even before I came on board, people never believed in the film. They asked how this film would work. While people were craving this kind of content, not too many films were made like this. When the screens went down from 300 to 30, we were told that only a miracle could save the film from being pulled down at theaters. I couldn’t sit with my hands tied, I did whatever I could,” Anupriya Nagar added.

‘I gave all my savings for Hanuman Ansh’

Talking about how the film has been loved for its simplicity, Anupriya shared they initially thought of releasing the film on OTT. “Hanuman Ansh doesn’t align with the formula in which films are made these days. It’s a simple period film, so it’s normal to question if the audience will relate to it. Everyone thinks before the release they have made a Mughal-e-Azam, it’s only when it releases do you understand how the film is received. There were also conversations about taking the film to OTT first. But we wanted to build a community, so we went with a theatrical release,” she said.

Giving up a job opportunity at Zurich was not the only risk Anupriya took; she even invested her life’s savings in Hanuman Ansh. “When Ragini Sona told me they needed funds, I decided to give what I had saved. I used to work during Christmas holidays and get extra salary so I could invest it; I thought I would go to Zurich and live a comfortable life. Later, I used all of those savings for Hanuman Ansh, “Anupriya shared.

Sharing what she plans to do with the profit of Hanuman Ansh, she said, “After Hanuman Ansh, people started calling me ‘Chasmewali Producer’ (bespectacled producer); fame has come my way. But I am still the same. Everyone is telling me to get a holiday house with the money Hanuman Ansh has made. I am not going to gift myself anything. I have everything I want. It is only because of the people that the film is doing so well, so I just want to give it back to society. I want to help children and provide proper education and health facilities and I am in the process of starting my foundation. It will be my greatest gift. I celebrated the film’s success with my family and we all went to Kaichi Dham after a really long time. It was the best celebration.”

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Hanuman Ansh would be a trilogy

While Anupriya shared how the film and political industry have come to support the film now, she recalled a conversation she had with Premanand Maharaj. Anupriya shared, “I met Premanand Maharajji after the film released and was doing well. I thought he wouldn’t recognize me. But he was so happy to see me. He told me, main bohot khush tha ke aap aaye, film ke pehle, aur uske baad bhi. Apne santo ke liye bohot bada kaam kiya hai (He told me I am very happy you came here before the film and after its success. You have done a great service to the spiritual leaders). It was such a huge thing to say.”

Sharing that Hanuman Ansh is supposed to be a trilogy, Anupriya added, “I am writing a book on my journey with Hanuman Ansh and with Maharajji. I am in the process of establishing my own production house, where I can tell these wonderful stories. We will take the film to OTT now. Regarding the rest of the stories, even 10 films will not be enough for it. From the very beginning, we thought of making a trilogy, this is the first part. We have to sit and plan the second film, and now the responsibility is greater. We need to decide the timeline. Right now we are trying to do justice to the film. The numbers are increasing, and we are still trying to reach more and more people. The film has now gone global as it was released overseas on September 11.”