Devotional film Hanuman Ansh crosses 419 crore rupees as crowds rush to Kainchi Dham

Director and writer Dr. Vishal Chaturvedi has issued a video appeal to devotees visiting Kainchi Dham after massive crowds gathered at the temple following the success of his film 'Hanuman Ansh'. Sharing a message on his X handle starting with 'Jai Sitaram', Chaturvedi pointed out that heavy crowds are reaching the temple after watching the movie, leading to long lines and traffic jams that cause trouble for families, children, and women. He advised people to check local conditions before planning a trip and suggested visiting alternative sacred places linked to Baba Neem Karoli if Kainchi Dham is too crowded. These options include the Hanuman Garhi temple on the Rishikesh-Nainital road, Akbarpur where the Maharaj was born, the Samadhi place in Vrindavan, and Neeb Karori village where he did hard meditation, adding that the Maharaj lives in every devotee's heart. Released on August 7, the film is produced under the 'Swayambhu Media Network' banner and is based on Chaturvedi's book 'Divine Detour: That Changed My Life' about Neem Karoli Baba's life. It stars Shobhinav Satya and Chandan Anand in main roles, along with Anil Rastogi, Purnima Tiwari, Sugandha Malhotra, Bhagwandas Patel, and Neha Paranjpe. After a slow start in the first two weeks with just 10 lakh rupees on the first day, the movie picked up pace from the third week onward. Marking its 59th day on a Sunday, it earned 2.88 crore rupees with 1,292 shows and 58 percent occupancy, completing two months in theaters despite other releases like Drishyam 3. Domestic collections stand at 324.61 crore rupees net and 383.36 crore rupees gross according to Sacnilk, while worldwide earnings have crossed 419.46 crore rupees.

Context

Devotional films and biopics about spiritual figures occasionally see unexpected box office surges through word-of-mouth support in India. Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand draws large numbers of followers of Neem Karoli Baba throughout the year, leading to heavy local traffic during peak periods.