As August closes and we enter September with a bang, a surprise hit has already made a thundering noise at the box office and among fans. This Hindi devotional drama not only earned around 2000 per cent profit but is also unstoppable and is turning out to be one big success story with no big star as the crowd puller or heavy-duty promotions or extensive publicity ahead of its release. Take a guess: which movie are we talking about?
Hanuman Ansh – Storyline, plot
Yes, it is Hanuman Ansh that we are referring to. The film written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi is based on the life and journey of revered saint Neeb Karoli Baba, also called Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Ansh plot revolves revolves around the life and teachings of Neem Karoli Baba, who is also referred to as Maharaj Ji by his followers, with a focus on faith, devotion, and service.
Reportedly, director Vishal Chaturvedi revealed that it was a very personal project for him and not a typical commercial movie.
Hanuman Ansh budget, box office collection
Hanuman Ansh has become the biggest box-office hit in Indian cinema this year, earning a staggering 2000% profit. How? Well, we will share the details below:
Made on a tight budget of Rs 2 crore, Hanuman Ansh was released theatrically on August 7. After an initial lull at the ticket windows, the movie witnessed a massive spike in numbers. The film opened with just Rs 10 lakh on day 1.
The film earned just Rs 60 lakh in its opening weekend, with Rs 28 crore in its fourth weekend. Hanuman Ansh has now earned over Rs 42 crore net in India and is heading towards the Rs 50-crore mark.
The film has a runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes and a U certificate.
According to trade tracking site Sacnilk, as of day 26, Hanuman Ansh is currently running across 1,748 shows. This brings total India gross collections to Rs 54.17 Cr and total India net to Rs 45.92 Cr so far, with India final collections yet to be reported.
Team’s unique marketing strategy
Hanuman Ansh is not your conventional Bollywood movie; rather, it is a devotional film about a spiritual leader, Neem Karoli Baba, who has a global following. Celebs including Apple co-founder late Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Julia Roberts, among several others have reportedly visited his ashram Kainchi Dham in Nainital.
The makers reportedly did not have the money for a large conventional campaign. Director Vishal Chaturvedi told The Indian Express, “We didn’t have money when we started the campaign for this film. We did bhandaras. We did eight such bhandaras, which became our campaign and spread the word about our film.”
Hanuman Ansh has clearly defied the tried-and-tested formula of boasting a big star cast, glossy songs and extensive promotional strategies to become a crowd-puller. It will be interesting to see what the lifetime collections of this devotional entertainer.
