I watched Hanuman Ansh rather too late. And I came away with something I had not expected from a film that, only a few weeks ago, appeared destined to disappear without a trace: Goosebumps.
The film had a meagre opening, little star power and virtually none of the promotional muscle normally associated with a pan-India film. Yet 40 days later, it has crossed Rs 290 crore worldwide.
But the spectacular box-office number isn’t the part that amazes me most. The real miracle is that Hanuman Ansh was made in the first place.
In an industry where pan-India films routinely involve hundreds of crores, here was a film made on a budget of barely Rs 2 crore. That is a ridiculously low budget compared with the economics of contemporary Indian cinema.
And yet that meager investment has raked in more than 134 times the production cost. The film has, quite literally, turned a shoe-string gamble into a box-office phenomenon.
From rejection to resurrection
The more fascinating story, however, is what happened before the first ticket was sold.
Writer-director Vishal Chaturvedi spent years trying to bring the story of Neem Karoli Baba to the screen. His idea was rejected by big producers who apparently questioned whether audiences would be interested in a story about a saint these days.
He eventually decided to make the film himself and also gave up his fees as writer and director. The budget was slashed, locations were reduced, the crew travelled by train and the shoot, originally planned for 26 days, was completed in just 22. That isn’t merely frugal filmmaking. That is a leap of faith.
Satyaa wasn’t supposed to be the actor
Shobhinaw Satyaa was working as an assistant director when the actor originally cast as Neem Karoli Baba had to drop out at the last minute. After a screen test, Satyaa was thrust into the lead role.
What a quirk of serendipity. Satya doesn’t merely play Maharaj Ji. He seems to inhabit him. His restraint, mannerisms, and almost childlike simplicity are among the film’s strengths.
Call it coincidence. Call it divine intervention. The film’s believers will probably have no difficulty choosing between the two.
Faith without a political flag
But the commentary surrounding the film is quite disturbing. Congress leader Rashid Alvi criticised Hanuman Ansh, arguing that films of this nature could be used to influence people’s minds through religious sentiments and gain votes.
That comment is what made me want to watch the film. I kept looking for the political subtext. I couldn’t find it. Not in a single frame.
What I found instead was a film about a spiritual teacher, his devotees, miracles attributed to him and, above all, a remarkably simple philosophy: ‘Love everyone, serve everyone, remember God, and tell the truth.’
Not every saffron story is a political dye
We have perhaps reached a stage where a film about a Hindu saint, an episode from the epics, a patriotic hero or a spiritual tradition is sometimes examined first through a political lens and only afterwards as cinema. That seems unfair to both the filmmaker and the audience.
A film can be devotional without being propaganda. A story about faith need not automatically be a poll manifesto. And audiences are perfectly capable of watching a film about a saint without being handed a political instruction manual.
Hanuman Ansh may or may not appeal to everyone. That is entirely a matter of personal taste. But to reduce it to ‘vote chori’ before actually watching it is to miss the more interesting story.
Because the most extraordinary thing about Hanuman Ansh isn’t simply that a Rs 2-crore film has crossed Rs 290 crore.
It is that someone actually had the audacity – and perhaps the faith – to attempt it for Rs 2 crore in the first place.
A film that was written off early as a dud cheque has not merely bounced back. It has returned with interest. And perhaps that is the first miracle of Hanuman Ansh.
