A film made on a reported budget of around ₹2 crore did not look like a box-office success when it opened. Hanuman Ansh, inspired by the life of spiritual figure Neem Karoli Baba, earned only about ₹10 lakh on its opening day and around ₹1.08 crore in its first week. But the film’s fortunes changed sharply in its third and fourth weeks. As per the latest figures, Hanuman Ansh has collected more than 193 crore in India, on September 11.Behind the film is Anupriya Nagar, a 21-year-old economics graduate from the University of Bath in UK, who entered film production without a conventional filmmaking background. She had studied economics in the UK, worked part-time during her three years there and had secured a job in Zurich. Instead of taking that route, she returned to India in 2025 and eventually became a co-producer of Hanuman Ansh.
She put all her UK savings into the film
According to her, the project needed investment at that point, and she told the team: “Whatever I have, I’m ready to give you guys.”
Anupriya did not come into the project with years of experience in the film industry. She put the money she had earned from part-time jobs during her university years into the film. Speaking to Hindustan Times, she described the decision as a risk she was willing to take. “This was the risk I was willing to take.” She explained that the money came from the three years she spent studying in the UK while working part-time. When she came across the project, she decided to contribute whatever she had. “I didn’t know what I could contribute because I had not done filmmaking, but I was ready to give my heart and soul to it.”According to her, the project needed investment at that point, and she told the team: “Whatever I have, I’m ready to give you guys.” The decision initially worried her family. As per Aaj Tak and various media, Anupriya said that her father was protective because she was young and had no filmmaking experience. He questioned how she could enter an unpredictable industry without knowing much about it. But after she explained that the film was about Neem Karoli Baba and narrated the story to him, he agreed.
Who is Anupriya Nagar?
Anupriya was born in Mumbai and later moved to the UK to study economics at the University of Bath. She is an economist, artist and a film producer. Her interest in art began much earlier than her interest in cinema. She started exhibiting her artwork at the age of 12 and later became involved with art, dance and business societies at the University of Bath. Her entry into filmmaking did not begin with acting, film school or a production job. It began with an economics assignment.
The economics assignment that led her to Neem Karoli Baba
She has said that if Hanuman Ansh had been made with a budget of ₹10 crore, its look and feel could have been very different.
While studying an investment and banking-related university module, Anupriya researched Steve Jobs, looking at him not only as a businessman but also as a thinker. That research led her to Jobs’ well-known connection with Neem Karoli Baba, including his visit to India. Instead of stopping at the Jobs connection, she began researching Baba’s life and influence.Her team eventually spent about a year researching the subject, visiting places associated with Neem Karoli Baba and speaking to people who had known or spent time with him. Chitrakoot and Vrindavan were among the locations they explored, according to India Today.
“I was ashamed that I was not getting to know about him through his own story”
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Anupriya said her focus was to bring Neem Karoli Baba’s stories to younger viewers, particularly Gen Z. “My only focus was to bring Maharaj ji’s (Neem Karoli Baba) stories to the younger audience, to Gen Z.”She said there was something that struck her while learning about him herself. She had first heard about the Indian spiritual figure through a foreigner. “I myself got to know about him through a foreigner and, being the youth of India, I was ashamed that I was not getting to know about him through his own story.” That experience became one of the reasons she wanted to make the film.
From ₹10 lakh opening to ₹190 crore
The film’s theatrical journey was not immediately promising. Hanuman Ansh opened on August 7 with around ₹10 lakh. Its first week ended at about ₹1.08 crore, while its second week brought only around ₹40 lakh, according to box office numbers. The change came in the third week, when the film collected around ₹10.40 crore. The film initially opened on about 300 screens, dropped to around 30 screens on its eighth day, and later expanded to more than 1,500 screens.
Why Anupriya does not want to lose the film’s simplicity
The reported ₹2 crore budget is an important part of Anupriya’s thinking about the film. She has said that if Hanuman Ansh had been made with a budget of ₹10 crore, its look and feel could have been very different. According to Aaj Tak, she wants to retain the rawness and simplicity that came from making the first film on a much smaller budget.
‘Hanuman Ansh 2’ is coming
The first film ends with a hint of a sequel, and Anupriya has now confirmed that a second part is planned. Speaking about the sequel, she said the response to the first film left them with little reason not to continue the story. “Maharaj ji has given us a lot, we don’t have a choice.” She has also indicated that the second film should retain the simplicity of the first rather than simply becoming a bigger production because of its success.
