Meet 21-Year-Old Behind ‘Hanuman Ansh’ Miracle
Anupriya Nagar had no plans to enter films. An Economics graduate from the University of Bath, she was headed to Switzerland for a job in the art world when a college assignment on Steve Jobs led her, unexpectedly, to Neem Karoli Baba and eventually to Hanuman Ansh. The Rs 2-crore film has crossed Rs 122 crore in 31 days and is still going strong
While big-budget giants were busy fighting for screens, a Rs 2 crore film on Neem Karoli Baba quietly rewrote the box office game! The low-budget devotional drama Hanuman Ansh that opened on 300 screens, crashed to 30 screens in Week 1 and was declared a flop is now the talk of the town expanding to 1500 screens, crossing Rs 122 crore in 31 days, going international and yes, even beating the buzz around biggie Dhurandhar at the box office.
In a conversation with us, the producer first requested, “Please avoid mentioning numbers, as we never wanted to promote gathering numbers. It was and always will be purely Maharaj Ji’s teachings.”
Anupriya could have easily spoken in budgets and returns. “Some decisions cannot be made only on an Excel sheet. I knew it was a huge personal risk but I believed this story needed to be told. It was a conscious leap of faith,” she says.
When we ask her about box-office headlines and take-home profits, she smiles and steps away from the numbers game again. She explains that what people see online is not what reaches a producer because there are theatre shares, distributor costs, taxes, publicity. But more importantly, she doesn’t want young producers to get misled by headlines also.
Whatever has come from this journey, she says, will be handled responsibly — a part will go back into meaningful cinema and a part she wants to dedicate to seva, to build an NGO rooted in service. She will share the full vision once it’s ready.
Fighting for every show, every day…
It wasn’t easy getting here. With no film background, working with people much older and more experienced, there were moments when people saw her age before her commitment. “Initially it was intimidating,” she admits. “But I realised I didn’t need to be the loudest person in the room. I had to be prepared, ask the right questions and remain firm when something mattered.” The industry taught her what no classroom could. Filmmaking, she learned, is distribution, marketing, relationships, timing and how strongly you stand behind your film after it’s made! “There are disagreements and sleepless nights and last-minute problems. But I would never turn private experiences into gossip,” she says.
There was also a phase when the shows were reducing and it felt like the film would disappear from theatres. She didn’t authenticate screen counts because they kept changing. But that phase taught her that making a film is not enough, you have to fight for its audience every single day!
Divine grace or luck?
Was the comeback luck? She pauses. “Perhaps some people may call it that. But I experienced something much deeper. When every practical sign suggested that the journey was ending, unexpected doors opened and people supported us including dierctor Aditya Dhar and actor Varun Dhawan without asking for anything in return. For me that was grace. I genuinely believe Hanuman ji and Maharaj ji guided this journey.”
No star because story was star!
Why no A-list stars or heavy VFX? That, she says, was the director’s call. He wanted the audience to connect with the character before recognising a star and wanted VFX to support the narrative rather than overpower it.
For other young investors who want to enter films, her advice is firm, “Faith should never mean ignoring due diligence.” Understand agreements, ownership, budgets, payment schedules, IP rights, distribution terms. Get everything documented and reviewed independently. “Never feel embarrassed about asking questions. Being young does not mean you have to trust blindly.” Today everyone calls her the youngest blockbuster producer. She is grateful for the love, but also doesn’t want age to become her entire identity. “Age may introduce me but the work should define me,” she says.
Film not for publicity
And what about making a commercial film on a saint who never wanted publicity? It was the most sensitive question they asked themselves. “Maharaj ji never needed publicity and this film was never intended to give him any. You cannot enlarge someone whose presence is already beyond such things. The intention was to introduce a new generation to the values he lived by. Cinema was simply the medium.” If she had to explain Neem Karoli Baba to someone outside India, she would keep it as simple as he kept life: “Love everyone. Serve everyone. Remember God.”
Her own visit to Kainchi Dham changed her! “There is a stillness there that makes you slow down and look within. I went with curiosity but returned with a sense of responsibility.” That sense of responsibility is now travelling beyond language.
Telugu hearts calling now…
Filmmakers from the South are showing interest in taking the story to Telugu audiences. Popular filmmaker Trivikram Srinivas will present the Telugu version, while Sai Soujanya will distribute it across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. On the global front, the makers of KGF and Kantara, had come on board for the worldwide release, which marks the 53rd mahasamadhi anniversary of Neem Karoli Baba also.
Please avoid mentioning numbers, as we never wanted to promote gathering numbers. It was and always will be purely Maharaj Ji’s teachings.”
