Cinema VinesIn its tenth week, the devotional film Hanuman Ansh continues to attract crowds, having already amassed nearly ₹322 crore at the box office. The movie’s success is even more striking when viewed against its modest production cost of just ₹2 crore, a figure that has set a new benchmark for return on investment in Indian cinema.
Producer Namrata Singh recently revealed the film’s exact budget for the first time. According to her interview with The Economic Times, the total production cost was ₹1.7 crore. Haldiram’s, the well‑known Indian snacks and sweets chain, contributed ₹1.25 crore towards prints and advertising (P&A) as part of a co‑production agreement. Of that P&A allocation, roughly ₹65–70 lakhs were spent on marketing, while the remaining funds were earmarked for the theatrical release. Additional spending of over ₹40 lakhs ensured the film stayed in theatres for three weeks, bringing the overall expenditure – production plus P&A – to approximately ₹2.95 crore.
Singh explained that securing the necessary capital required a collaborative effort. “Ragini Sona, a longtime friend of director Vishal Chaturvedi, agreed to invest ₹50 lakhs on the condition that someone else matched the amount,” she said. When no other investor stepped forward, Singh used her mutual‑fund savings to cover the gap. Further post‑production funding came from Anupriya A Nagar, the daughter of UK‑based financier Anshul Nagar, who invested to complete the film’s post‑production phase.
The four principal investors – Singh, Sona, Nagar and an unnamed partner – each hold a 25% share of the intellectual property. Their arrangement includes a three‑year lock‑in period and other agreed terms, as outlined in a shareholders’ agreement.
With its unprecedented ROI and the backing of a major brand like Haldiram’s, Hanuman Ansh has not only drawn audiences to the theatres but also sparked a renewed interest in devotional cinema, proving that a modest budget can translate into massive box‑office returns when backed by strategic partnerships and effective marketing.
