Bollywood refused to help Hanuman Ansh initially, are now apologising: 21-yr-old producer

Anupriya Nagar, the 21-year-old co-producer of Vishal Chaturvedi’s devotional drama Hanuman Ansh, has opened up about the film’s unexpected box-office turnaround and the difficult phase when it was close to being pulled from theatres. In a recent conversation, Anupriya recalled how the film’s screen count dropped from around 300 to 30 by its eighth day before its fortunes changed, and said she had even considered leaving the film industry and returning to Zurich when the film was initially struggling.

She also recalled that many in Bollywood refused to come on board, worried that they would loss their nominal investment if they chose to help. Anupriya said many of those people have come and apologised to her. Made on the budget of less than Rs 2 crore, the film has now amassed Rs 331.70 crore gross and Rs 280.93 crore net at the domestic box office, and Rs 366.45 crore worldwide.

In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, the 21-year-old producer said her disappointment was not about the money but about audiences not showing up to watch the film.

“It was disheartening to see that the film was not doing well at the box office. I wasn’t disheartened because we weren’t making money. I was disheartened because people weren’t watching the film. I couldn’t understand whether devotees were not going to watch it or whether they were going and not enjoying it. We simply didn’t understand what was happening. That was one of the most difficult times,” Anupriya recalled.

She said her investment in the film made it impossible for her to simply sit back and watch its theatrical run deteriorate.

“I thought, I am one of the producers of this film and I have invested my hard-earned money in this project so that people watch it and know about Maharaj Ji. I couldn’t just sit with my hands folded,” she said.

‘I went to Delhi and met whoever I could’

Anupriya said she decided to take the film’s promotion into her own hands when she felt the team did not have the resources for promotional campaign.

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“I went to Delhi and thought I would meet whoever I could. I met top leaders, I met a lot of his devotees and tried to get them to post something from their handles, so that there could be some word of mouth. I wanted some kind of movement to happen. I thought, let me do podcasts. Honestly, at that time nobody knew me. Nobody knew that Hanuman Ansh was coming or that it was about Maharaj Ji. I also want to thank those podcasters and interviewers who gave me the opportunity to speak through their channels at that time,” she said.

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From 300 screen to 30

Anupriya recalled receiving a call on the eighth day informing the team that the film’s screen count had fallen from around 300 to just 30.

“We got a call on the eighth day saying, ‘Your film has gone from 300 screens to 30 screens. Maybe tomorrow your film will be out because two more films are coming.’ We were told that perhaps only a miracle could save the film and that it might be out of theatres the next day,” she recalled.

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But what followed was the kind of turnaround that has since become central to Hanuman Ansh’s box-office story. Anupriya said the film’s collections rose by 22% over the next two days.

Soon, the conversation around the film changed completely. People began asking her what she had done to turn a film that appeared to be heading towards failure into a hit.

“I tell them I didn’t do anything. The team kept believing,” she said, while remembering how difficult that period had been for everyone associated with the film.

“There were people in the team who were thinking that everything was over and that perhaps we should get a good OTT deal so that we could recover the money. That was the most difficult time we saw,” she said.

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‘I thought this industry was not meant for me’

Anupriya also shared that she had decided to go back to Zurich after the film’s initial failure.

“When the film was declared a flop, I thought maybe I would pack my bags and go back to Zurich. I thought this industry was not meant for me. I had reached that stage where I was thinking I would leave the industry and go back,” she said.

Her entry into the project also came at a crucial stage. Anupriya said the team had approached several people for investment during post-production but struggled to find backers.

“Since the beginning, even before I came on board, the Hanuman Ansh team had gone to many people for investment for post-production, but nobody agreed to invest, even though it wasn’t a very big investment,” she said.

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She believes the film’s small scale, new director and relatively unfamiliar cast made potential investors hesitant.

“Before the release, there were a handful of people who supported us, but many people didn’t believe in the project. They thought it was a small-budget film, the director was making his first film and the actors were also new. They thought the film would come and go. People didn’t have that belief,” Nagar said.

‘Producers came to me and apologised’

Anupriya also said producers who had previously passed on the project have since reached out to congratulate the team and, in some cases, apologise for not coming on board.

“I am so glad the industry’s thought process has now changed. Everyone in the industry is supporting us,” she said.

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“Lots of producers have reached out and it is very sweet. They have congratulated us. Some of them have actually come to me and said, ‘First of all, I apologise because this film had come to us. We are sorry we couldn’t join you. That was the biggest mistake I made.’”

According to Anupriya, some industry members also told her that the film had offered a lesson about what a small production can achieve.

“They said, ‘You have made us realise that a small film can do so much. You have given a lesson to the industry.’ They told us, ‘Whatever you want, we are with you.’ It is very sweet,” she recalled.

“I don’t blame them because it was a very small film,” she added.

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Headlined by Shobinaw Satyaa, Hanuman Ansh is inspired by the life of Neem Karoli Baba. The devotional drama traces his spiritual journey while exploring themes of faith, compassion, love, devotion and selfless service.