What Hanuman Ansh gets right: Faith, simplicity and its appeal to an entire generation Bollywood forgot

I watched Hanuman Ansh in a crumbling theatre in a two-tier Rajasthan city — and understood why it crossed ₹85 crore.

The last time my parents sat inside a theatre was in 2012, when Barfi released. I had booked their tickets online, leaving them with no option but to go. This time, no such force was required to get them to the theatre. In fact, my cinema-averse father willingly walked in and even dragged the whole family along with him to watch Hanuman Ansh.

How a crumbling, sole theatre in two-tier city came alive

Shobhinaw Satyaa played Neem Karoli Baba in Hanuman Ansh.

Unexpectedly, the only surviving theatre in this two-tier city in Rajasthan was packed on a Thursday afternoon. It felt less like a regular movie screening and more like a festival fair.

The women of the city, mostly dressed in colourful poshaks and sarees, were making reels as if they had skipped their kitty parties and arrived at the theatre instead. The older members of the audience were being helped up the stairs by their adult children. Families from nearby villages, who would usually spend their afternoons at home, had also travelled to this crumbling theatre to watch this film.

The children who have moved to bigger cities and happened to be back in town found the screening to be the perfect excuse for a family outing — one that their parents and grandparents could enjoy together.

Why it is appealing to the heartland?

Hanuman Ansh's popularity has increased manifold over the last two weeks, and that Thursday afternoon at the theatre made it clear why. The film is a mass entertainer in the truest sense. It is sincerely made, has good music and follows a simple storyline. Most importantly, the makers have not tried to make it something it isn't.

The film follows the life of Neem Karoli Baba in its purest form, without unnecessary gimmicks or attempts to manufacture spectacle. It narrates the spiritual leader's miracles. Whether one believes these miracles actually happened or not isn't really the point. These are stories that generations of people have grown up hearing and believing. Hanuman Ansh gives those stories a cinematic validation of sorts by presenting them in exactly the way its audience wants to see them.

A simple tale for a forgotten generation

By telling a simple story in pure Hindi and relying on authentic performances, the director Vishal Chaturvedi have appealed to a generation that grew up in a much simpler time, when BR Chopra's Ramayan first aired on Doordarshan. This is a generation that is now in its 60s and 70s — the same people who, as children, would run to the one house in their neighbourhood that had a television to watch Ramayan. Today, many of them are being helped up theatre stairs by their own children and grandchildren to watch Hanuman Ansh.

This is a generation that has largely been forgotten by filmmakers in their attempt to appeal to the 'masses' through violent thrillers and slow-motion action sequences. Hanuman Ansh has finally given this audience a film that takes them back to simpler times — without forcing a political message or propaganda into the narrative.

No propaganda, only prayers

At the same time, the film gives an outlet to those who have rediscovered their faith amid the growing debates around religion. It gives them a sense of agency without attempting to sway them in any particular direction. That restraint may be one of the reasons the film has connected so deeply with its audience.

A gateway for a new genre

Hanuman Ansh could well become a gateway for a new genre of films to find space in the mainstream market. There is clearly an audience for stories rooted in faith, spirituality and folklore — an audience that is willing to leave its home, travel from nearby villages and fill up theatres when it finds something that speaks directly to it.

But the success of Hanuman Ansh also comes with a caveat: this genre needs to be handled with sincerity and taste. Audiences may be ready for more such films, but simply putting a religious figure on screen will not guarantee the same response.