The latest viral Internet sensation is the 25-year-old visually impaired devotional singer Suneel Lodhi, whose incredible journey from his local region Bundelkhand to Bollywood has the Internet raving about his success story.
He is currently being talked about for Maine Tere Hi Bharose from the sleeper hit Hanuman Ansh, which has struck a chord with audiences. Hanuman Ansh is currently gaining widespread recognition and rising to rule the box office, but viewers are especially enamoured by Suneel Lodhi's song in the film, which is about surrendering to Lord Hanuman.
His Early Journey
Despite his physical limitations, Suneel Lodhi never let them become an obstacle in his musical ambitions. Belonging to the regional belt of Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh, he began singing traditional Bundeli folk songs and bhajans on local trains and in villages from the mere age of 10-11. In an interview with Hindustan Times, he said, "I used to sing on the tambura."
Thus, he built a profile of Bundeli folk songs and traditional bhajans even before the digital age descended. Then came the big breakthrough.
The Moment
The social media page and YouTube platform Bundeli Duniya gave recognition to the young singer, though he did not realise its reach until recently.
He said, "I had been singing songs for the Bundeli Duniya page. That is where my Bundeli songs started getting noticed."
Suneel Lodhi's first breakthrough moment came when his Hanuman bhajan More Sankat Ke Kataiya went viral, amassing about 29 million views on their page. That was when more music producers began noticing his work.
The final magic happened when filmmaker and music producer Pankaj Rathod, also known as Pankaj VRK, discovered the viral folk singer - and the rest is history.
The Hanuman Ansh Craze
While Hanuman Ansh continues to wreak box office havoc amid big releases, Suneel Lodhi's inspiring story has caught everyone's attention.
He had no idea that the song Maine Tere Hi Bharose from the film was recorded for commercial purposes. He recorded about eight songs at Sai Baba Studio, Mumbai, one of which was Maine Tere Hi Bharose.
Reports stated that Pankaj VRK tracked the singer down and invited him to Mumbai to record a few tracks. Now, he is being celebrated across social media.
Suneel Lodhi said, "More Sankat Ke Kataiya is a traditional Hanuman bhajan. I keep singing these traditional bhajans. Maine Tere Hi Bharose is also traditional."
About Hanuman Ansh
There was hardly any noise around Hanuman Ansh when it reached theatres. The film opened on August 7 with just Rs 10 lakh. For a film without a big Bollywood star or a large promotional campaign, that was a very quiet start.
Cut to 24 days later, and the same film has crossed Rs 40 crore in India. According to Sacnilk, Hanuman Ansh has collected Rs 40.13 crore net and Rs 47.33 crore gross in India. The film has clocked 20,613 shows so far.
That turnaround is exactly why Hanuman Ansh is making news.
Written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, Hanuman Ansh is a spiritual drama inspired by the life and teachings of Neem Karoli Baba, also known as Maharaj Ji. Shobhinaw Satyaa plays Neem Karoli Baba, while Vihaan Shedge plays Maharaj Ji in another stage of the story. The cast also includes Chandan Anand, Purnima Tiwari, Anil K Rastogi and Gulshan Pandey. The film has a runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes and a U certificate.
The first two weeks were far from impressive.
Sacnilk's data shows that Hanuman Ansh collected Rs 1.08 crore in its first week. The second week added only Rs 40 lakh. So, after 14 days, the film had made just Rs 1.48 crore.
Then things changed.
The third week brought in Rs 10.4 crore. Day 17 alone gave the film Rs 2.2 crore. Day 19 brought in another Rs 2.35 crore. The fourth week was even stronger. The film made Rs 6.25 crore on Day 22, Rs 9.25 crore on Day 23 and Rs 12.75 crore on Day 24.
In other words, Hanuman Ansh made more money on Day 24 than it did in its entire first two weeks combined.
