Hanuman Ansh director Dr Vishal Chaturvedi on success: Neem Karoli Baba's story, honest presentation, and word-of-mouth

Released in 250 theaters, the film dropped to 25 in a week and is now running in 1,200 screens. Made with a budget of ₹1.7Cr, the film has made ₹45Cr in 25 days

Starting at 250 theaters and coming down to 25 in a week and now running in 1,200 screens in the fourth week, doctor-turned-debutant writer-filmmaker Dr Vishal Chaturvedi’s Hanuman Ansh on Neem Karoli Baba is doing wonders at the box office.

Dr Vishal Chaturvedi and (right) a still from the film Hanuman Ansh

Calling it “magical, divine and driven by the audience,” he says, “At ₹1.7Cr we just wanted the audience to watch and the investment to return but it did wonders (according to data ₹45Cr only in India and counting). We have stopped looking at collections and counting the blessings, appreciation and love.”

Vishal is himself surprised with the “grace.” He says, “I guess what worked in the film primarily is Baba’s divine story (played by actor Shobhinaw Satyaa), music and the actors and makers who are very emotional about the subject. We hardly did any promotion and PR as we did not have any budget, but the audience played the role of PR with word-of-mouth and posting on social media. The audience have driven the film on their shoulders.”

They did bhandaras instead on PR exercise.

After the shows were reduced, they did a road trip from Mumbai. “We went to Rajkot, Surat, Ahmedabad and even small towns where we met the audience, local media and cinema owners. We did not have funds, so we amplified it on social media, and it was boosted by content creators and users with very emotional reels. It organically became viral and shows increased,” he says.

The film has been shot in Chitrakoot and has used Braj, Awadhi and Bundeli language to connect with the wider audience, he says.

A Lucknowite, Vishal completed his MBBS from Gorakhpur in 2006 and in the same year was posted in Haldwani when he got introduced to Baba and went to his ashram in Kainchi Dham (Uttarakhand) where he became a bhakt.

“In 2011, I stopped medical practice and came into writing and assisting in film. I have also worked with Anubhav Sinha for a few years and have assisted in films Hurdang (2024), Dedh Bigha Zameen (2024) and some shows too. My medical profession helps me a scientific and skeptical approach,” says the writer of TV series Fauji 2.

He also runs a Hanuman Chalisa Club which has 12,000 members.

As per Sacnilk, after 25 days it has earned gross collections to ₹53.82Cr and net collections to ₹45.63Cr so far.