Rs 50 Crore And Counting: Why Hanuman Ansh Director Has Stopped Tracking Box Office

Hanuman Ansh director Vishal has opened up about the film's performance at the box office, saying he has stopped closely tracking its numbers as the film has now "gone into the hands of the audience". 

The film, which is inspired by the life and teachings of Neem Karoli Baba, has been receiving a strong response in theatres.

'The Film Is Doing Well'

Speaking about the film's business, Vishal told NDTV that the team initially kept a close watch on the number of tickets sold and the daily collections. However, he has now chosen to step back from tracking the figures.

He said, "By God's grace, the film is doing well. Initially, we were tracking the number of tickets sold and how many crores it was collecting every day. But now I feel the film has gone into the hands of the audience, and they are taking it wherever they want to."

He added, "I haven't really been keeping track of the numbers, but yesterday's figure was in double digits. Otherwise, I feel the film is no longer in our hands, so I have stopped tracking it. I am currently in Vrindavan, and today I spent some time with my team at Maharaj Ji's samadhi."

On Hanuman Ansh Registering Stronger Advance Bookings Than Toxic

The director also addressed reports about Hanuman Ansh recording stronger advance bookings than Yash-starrer Toxic at one point. According to Vishal, screenshots circulating on social media showed that the film was reportedly more than 4,000 tickets ahead of Toxic in bookings.

He said, "Yes! I had also heard this through several screenshots on social media, that at one point our bookings were more than 4,000 tickets ahead of 'Toxic'. But these things keep going up and down. It's a much bigger film, so I don't think we should even be competing with it."

With trade analysts predicting that Hanuman Ansh could potentially reach Rs 150 crore, Vishal said he is no longer looking at the film's performance through a specific numerical target.

"I feel that this has gone beyond numbers and has reached people's awareness and emotions. I don't want to target or limit the film to any particular number. I feel both things are limitless. Wherever Maharaj Ji is concerned, everything becomes limitless. So I'm not looking at it in terms of numbers anymore."

He added that the discussions around the film potentially crossing Rs 50 crore, Rs 100 crore or even Rs 150 crore are encouraging, but he would accept whatever the film earns with gratitude.

He shared, "People are talking about Rs 50 crore, Rs 100 crore, Rs 150 crore, and it feels really good to hear that. Wherever and however much we receive as Prasad, we will gratefully accept it."

Why Hanuman Ansh Was Released In Theatres?

The filmmaker also spoke about the significance of Hanuman Ansh succeeding despite being a relatively small film. He said the team chose a theatrical release instead of accepting the OTT offers available to them because they believed the story needed to reach a wide audience.

He said, "I feel that when we all took the courage to release this film in theatres, rather than focusing on the OTT offers we had, it was because we believed that this is a story of Ram and it should reach everyone. And that is exactly what happened."

Vishal believes the film's response could also encourage filmmakers to prioritise stories, emotions and family-oriented content over spectacle and gimmicks.

"I believe that through this film, many new and established filmmakers will understand that if you focus on content and emotions rather than gimmicks, it doesn't matter whether your film is small or big. People are very eager to watch good content, good films and, especially, family-oriented stories."

According to the director, the response he has witnessed on the ground has reinforced his belief that audiences still value the experience of watching films with their families.

"I am also understanding this very clearly by going to the ground and seeing the audience. People are enjoying the experience of watching the film with their families. When emotions connect, there is also a small change within the family, and people begin to understand each other's feelings better."

He further reflected on how the theatrical experience once played a central role in bringing families together, something he feels has gradually diminished with the rise of television, mobile phones and home viewing.

He shared, "For several decades, cinema played an important role in bringing families together and strengthening relationships. But over the last few decades, we somehow lost that connection. The joy of watching a film together as a family disappeared, and people started watching films at home on television and mobile phones."

Vishal said bringing families back to theatres was one of the intentions behind making the film.

"I feel this change needed to happen, and my small step towards that was to bring families back together to watch a film."

'Neem Karoli Baba's Popularity Has Helped Hanuman Ansh'

Vishal also acknowledged the influence of Neem Karoli Baba, popularly referred to by his devotees as Maharaj Ji, on the film's reception. 

He believed the spiritual leader's widespread following and the public interest surrounding his life have contributed significantly to the film's success.

He said, "I feel Maharaj Ji's name has tremendous power and influence. There was another film that came out two months before ours, which unfortunately did not work at the box office. Apart from that, two more projects have been announced. There is tremendous interest among people in Maharaj Ji's personality and life, so that has definitely played a very big role. There is absolutely no doubt about that."

On Film's Title

He also pointed to the film's title and its association with Lord Hanuman as another factor that may have helped it connect with audiences. The director specifically mentioned the sequence featuring the Hanuman Chalisa.

He said, "The title 'Hanuman Ansh' has also made a big difference. The word 'Hanuman' itself has made a big difference. There is an entire scene featuring the Hanuman Chalisa in our film, and that has also had a significant impact because the Hanuman Chalisa is something that almost everyone in India can relate to."

Vishal believed several factors have come together to help the film find an audience, but he considers Neem Karoli Baba the biggest inspiration behind the project.

He concluded, "I feel all these things have benefited the film. Most importantly, Neem Karoli Baba Maharaj Ji has been the inspiration behind all of this. The biggest credit for the film's success goes to him. His immense popularity among people and the stories associated with him have greatly helped the film."