Why did Uttarakhand make Hanuman Ansh tax-free?

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced Hanuman Ansh will be tax-free as it highlights the teachings and life of Neem Karoli Baba, showcasing the state's spiritual and cultural heritage.

What is the storyline of Hanuman Ansh?

Hanuman Ansh follows a young man named Lakshminarayan, who, after losing his mother, embarks on a spiritual journey across North India, eventually transforming into the revered saint Neem Karoli Baba.

How did Hanuman Ansh achieve box office success despite a slow start?

After a poor opening, Hanuman Ansh gained momentum through strong word-of-mouth, leading to significant increases in box office collections in its later weeks, ultimately leading to its success.

Hanuman Ansh to be made tax free in Uttarakhand, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami hails it for showing Neem Karoli Baba's penance

Hanuman Ansh, the devotional film that has taken India by storm, is set to be made tax-free in the state of Uttarakhand.

Published on: Sep 6, 2026, 10:21:59 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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As it blazes past milestones at the box office, there is more cheer for devotional film Hanuman Ansh. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced that the film, based on the life and teachings of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba, will be made tax-free in the state.

Hanuman Ansh is based on the life of Neem Karoli Baba.

Hanuman Ansh to be made tax-free

On Friday, DM Dhami watched the movie at a cinema hall in Dehradun along with his wife Geeta Dhami, cabinet colleagues Ganesh Joshi and Pradeep Batra, and several MLAs. The CM said films like Hanuman Ansh play a vital role in showcasing the state's spiritual and cultural heritage to the nation and the world.

“Through the film, we had the opportunity to know and understand Baba Neem Karoli Maharaj Ji's penance, sacrifice, service, and his unwavering faith in Lord Hanuman. His entire life was dedicated to the service of humanity, spiritual practice, and the welfare of society,” the chief minister said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

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“The life of Baba Neem Karoli Maharaj Ji gives us the message that devotion is not merely practice, but also the path of service, surrender, and human welfare,” he added. Congratulating the film's team for creating an “inspirational and spiritual film”, he announced that it would be made tax-free in the state.

About Hanuman Ansh

Written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, Hanuman Ansh follows a grieving young Lakshminarayan, who embarks on a spiritual journey in search of God after the death of his mother. As he travels across North India seeking answers to life, death and human suffering, he eventually transforms into the revered saint Neem Karoli Baba, whose teachings of love, service and compassion touched countless lives.

The film stars Shobhinaw Satya in the lead role alongside Vihaan Shedge, Chandan K Anand, Purnima Tiwari, Anil Rastogi, Gulshan Pandey and Bhagvandas Patel.

The film, which released in theatres on August 7, had a slow start, netting only ₹10 lakh nationwide on its opening day. By its second week, the film was playing in fewer than 20 theatres across India. But then, it picked up by a strong word-of-mouth. It earned over ₹28 crore net in India on its fourth weekend and since then, has raced towards the ₹100-crore mark. Following its success, it has also secured international distribution through Hombale Films. The production house announced that it will be taking the film to the global audiences, but an international release date is yet to be announced.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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