Cinema VinesIn a remarkable turn of events, the modest devotional drama Hanuman Ansh has surged to become the third-highest‑grossing Indian film of 2026, eclipsing several high‑budget pan‑India releases. The movie, which chronicles the life of the revered saint Neem Karoli Baba, was produced on a shoestring budget of just ₹2 crore and features no marquee stars, yet it has amassed a global haul of over ₹352 crore after 46 days in theatres.
After a sluggish opening—opening weekend earnings of only ₹10 lakh and a cumulative ₹1.50 crore in the first fortnight—word‑of‑mouth began to work its magic. From the fourth week onward, the film has been pulling in more than ₹60 crore in net Indian collections each week. On Monday, the 46th day of its run, it added another ₹4 crore net, bringing its domestic total to ₹276 crore net (₹326 crore gross). This places it fourth in the annual Indian box‑office rankings, trailing only Dhurandhar 2, Border 2 and Spider‑Man: Brand New Day.
Internationally, Hanuman Ansh has also performed strongly. After Hombale Films secured worldwide distribution rights, the film has grossed $2.8 million overseas in just three weeks, translating to roughly ₹26 crore. Combined with its domestic earnings, the worldwide total now stands at ₹352 crore.
The film’s meteoric rise has seen it leap from outside the top ten to the top three in the last five days, surpassing the lifetime collections of several pan‑India blockbusters such as Vijay’s Jana Nayagan (₹324 crore), Yash’s Toxic (₹341 crore) and Ram Charan’s Peddi (₹342 crore). Its next target appears to be the Bollywood juggernaut Border 2, which has already earned over ₹450 crore worldwide earlier this year.
Directed and written by Vishal Chaturvedi, Hanuman Ansh follows the journey of Lakshminarayan, a grieving young man who, after his mother’s death, travels across North India seeking spiritual answers. He eventually transforms into the saint Neem Karoli Baba. The lead role is played by Shobhinaw Satyaa, supported by Vihaan Shedge, Chandan K Anand, Purnima Tiwari, Anil Rastogi, Gulshan Pandey and Bhagvandas Patel.
