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Hanuman Ansh director surprised by film's success, calls it 'beyond understanding'
Director Vishal Chaturvedi said Hanuman Ansh's box-office success left him feeling grateful rather than focused on numbers. He said the team prioritised the film's reach, even considering inflatable theatres for village screenings.
Hanuman Ansh director Vishal Chaturvedi expresses immense gratitude for the film's unexpected box-office success, crediting his focus on duty rather than results. The film, made on a modest budget, has resonated widely, crossing Rs 300 crore worldwide and reaching diverse audiences.
After the success of Hanuman Ansh, director Vishal Chaturvedi spoke to India Today about the film’s box-office run, his gratitude towards everyone involved with the project and why he never approached the film with its eventual business in mind. The filmmaker said that the overwhelming response is beyong his understanding.
When asked about his reaction to the film’s success, Vishal pointed to a word written on the wall of his office: “Gratitude.”
“That’s our office wall, where ‘gratitude’ is written. Gratitude to everyone who worked so hard on the film, all the people who invested money, the people who produced the film and everyone who has been part of this whole journey. I’m really, really thankful and have immense gratitude towards them,” he said.
Hanuman Ansh, made on a reported budget of around Rs 2 crore, has been performing strongly at the box office. Asked if he had expected the film to reach such numbers, Vishal said his expectations were different from his wishes.
“I was expecting something, and what I wished for were two different things,” he said. Referring to the Bhagavad Gita, he explained that he tried not to get attached to the result.
He said, “As in the Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that — ‘Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana’ (You have a right to perform your duty, but not to the fruits of your actions).”
Explaining what the verse meant to him, Vishal said, “Jitna aap result-oriented, result ke baare mein soch ke apne aapko attach nahi karoge, do your best.” (The less you attach yourself to the result and focus on the outcome, the more you can focus on doing your best.)
For Vishal, the real ambition was to take Hanuman Ansh to as many people as possible.
“Jo meri wish thi, wahi thi ki laakhon, karodon log, matlab jan-jan film ko dekhe (My wish, was that lakhs and crores of people, people from every section of society, should watch the film)," he added.
He said the team even thought about unconventional ways of taking the film to audiences who may not have easy access to theatres.
“The idea was to think about what we could do to show the film to people. We even thought about inflatable theatres, where the theatre could be set up and taken down, allowing us to travel to villages and show the film there," he shared.
According to Vishal, the team was therefore thinking more about the film’s reach than its eventual box-office numbers.
“We were thinking about ideas like these. We were not thinking that the film would do business worth crores. The business side of things is probably not my cup of tea, and it is also beyond my understanding," said the filmmaker.
Hanuman Ansh has crossed Rs 300.25 crore worldwide after 41 days in theatres. The film is currently running in cinemas.
