Hanuman Ansh director says he sought help from Bollywood but got no support: ‘Industry is filled with confused people’

Hanuman Ansh is outperforming larger releases, earning ₹72.88 crore. Director Vishal Chaturvedi revealed that film got no initial Bollywood support.

A tiny ₹2 crore film, Hanuman Ansh, has been creating a stir at the box office. The film took a slow start but is now outpacing Kannada star Yash's Toxic in its fourth week. In a recent podcast with Raunac, the film's director Vishal Chaturvedi revealed that Bollywood did not support his film before its release. However, as the film started performing well, several people from the industry called to congratulate him.

Vishal Chaturvedi says Bollywood didn't support Hanuman Ansh but congratulated him after its success.

Vishal Chaturvedi says Bollywood didn't support Hanuman Ansh

The director said that the audience played a crucial role in driving the film's box office performance. He revealed that the film faced a steep reduction in its screen and show counts as theatres prioritised bigger releases, with its show count dropping from 250 to just 25. He added that multiplex chains such as PVR and Cinepolis, particularly at prime locations, were initially sceptical about screening the film.

When asked if Bollywood offered him support before the film's release, the director laughed it off and said, "After the film started to do well, several people called me to congratulate me. I don’t want to name them. One of those who congratulated me was Madhur Bhandarkar, whom I had not asked for any support. However, I am not mentioning the others because I had sought help from those people, and they didn’t help me. Hence, I don’t want to name them for now, just because they are congratulating me."

Deep Dive

What is the plot of the film Hanuman Ansh?

Why did Vishal Chaturvedi say Bollywood did not support Hanuman Ansh before its release?

How did the audience contribute to the success of Hanuman Ansh at the box office?

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He added, "People discourage you, saying this content wouldn't work, but mostly don’t know what is going to work, but yet they pass on their gyaan to others. The industry is filled with confused people. There are two sets of people, one who genuinely want to make films, and others who don’t have any passion and think filmmaking is something they should try."

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar praised Hanuman Ansh after watching it in a theatre. He said, "Witnessed pure cinematic magic watching #HanumanAnsh in the theatre the audience was completely glued to the screen! 🙌@filmervishal direction is wonderfully honest & tender, while actor Shobhinav Satya’s portrayal of Neem Karoli Baba is purely natural and flawless.”

Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut also praised the film and called it a "satsang". She further urged audiences to skip therapy and watch the film in theatres.

About Hanuman Ansh

Hanuman Ansh is written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi. It is based on the life of Neem Karoli Baba, popularly known as Maharaj ji. The official synopsis reads, "A grieving boy seeks God to meet his departed mother, and in finding the divine, learns to serve humanity with miracles of love, food and silent blessings, becoming Hanuman Ansh, Neem Karoli Baba."

On its opening day, Hanuman Ansh earned ₹10 lakh at the box office, but picked up pace in its third week following positive word of mouth. So far, the film has reportedly collected ₹72.88 crore domestically and continues its dream run at the box office. Amid the film's success, a sequel has now been announced.