Hanuman Ansh director Vishal Chaturvedi said that Bollywood did not offer much support when he was trying to get the film out to audiences.
Published: September 4, 2026, 9:05 AM IST
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Hanuman Ansh (PC-Instagram)
Vishal Chaturvedi’s Hanuman Ansh has turned into one of the surprise success stories at the box officeMade on a reported budget of just Rs 2 crore, the film started slowly but gained momentum through positive word of mouthIt has now reportedly collected Rs 72.88 crore in India and continues to perform strongly in its fourth week.
In a recent podcast with Raunac, Chaturvedi opened up about the challenges he faced before the film’s releaseThe director said that Bollywood did not offer much support when he was trying to get the film out to audiences.
Vishal Chaturvedi Says Bollywood Did Not Support Hanuman Ansh
According to the filmmaker, the audience played the biggest role in the film’s successHe revealed that the number of screens and shows dropped sharply as theatres gave preference to bigger releases. The film’s shows reportedly fell from around 250 to just 25Chaturvedi also said that multiplex chains such as PVR and Cinepolis, especially at prime locations, were initially unsure about screening the film.
When asked if anyone from Bollywood supported the film before its release, the director laughed and said, “After the film started to do well, several people called me to congratulate meI don’t want to name themOne of those who congratulated me was Madhur Bhandarkar, whom I had not asked for any supportHowever, I am not mentioning the others because I had sought help from those people, and they didn’t help meHence, I don’t want to name them for now, just because they are congratulating me.”
Chaturvedi also spoke about the criticism filmmakers often face when they attempt something differentHe said, “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 othersThe industry is filled with confused peopleThere 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.”
Madhur Bhandarkar Praises Hanuman Ansh
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar praised Hanuman Ansh after watching it in a theatreHe 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 filmShe called it a “satsang” and urged audiences to watch it in theatres.
Hanuman Ansh Box Office Performance
Hanuman Ansh is written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi and is based on the life of Neem Karoli Baba, popularly known as Maharaj ji. The film opened with just ₹10 lakh on its first dayHowever, it picked up significantly in its third week as positive word of mouth brought more audiences to theatres.
The film has reportedly earned Rs 72.88 crore domestically so far, a strong result considering its reported ₹2 crore budgetIts unexpected success has also led to the announcement of a sequel.
The official synopsis of the film 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.”
