Neem Karoli Baba’s surprise blockbuster misses the Oscar submission window, but the film’s extraordinary box-office run is powering a much bigger plan — a trilogy, Telugu release, game and comic-book universe.
By Ulta Palta Khabar Entertainment Desk | September 12, 2026
Sometimes the biggest Bollywood shockers are not the films everyone expects to win — but the ones nobody saw coming. Hanuman Ansh is exactly that story.
A spiritual drama inspired by the life and teachings of Neem Karoli Baba, the film arrived in theatres with a reported budget of around ₹2 crore and initially looked like a modest release. But weeks later, it has transformed into one of the biggest surprise success stories of 2026, with its reported India gross reaching approximately ₹205.15 crore.
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There is, however, one opportunity the makers have already lost.
Hanuman Ansh missed the deadline to be considered as India’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars.
And according to producer Namrata Singh, the reason is surprisingly simple: the team did not know about the submission deadline.
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‘We missed the Oscar submission deadline’
Speaking about the development, Namrata Singh admitted that the makers received calls from people pointing out that the film had not been submitted for Oscar consideration.
The producer explained that the team was simply overwhelmed.
With a small production setup, the makers were simultaneously dealing with the film’s international release, Telugu dubbing, plans for additional language versions, accessibility initiatives and promotional tours.
In other words, while the industry was beginning to talk about Hanuman Ansh as an extraordinary box-office success, its makers were still operating like a small team trying to keep up with a phenomenon they themselves had not anticipated.
That makes the Oscar miss particularly frustrating.
The film had suddenly developed the kind of momentum that can make awards-season conversations possible, but by the time the team realised the importance of the submission window, the opportunity had already passed.
The irony: ₹2 crore film becomes a ₹205 crore phenomenon
The Oscar disappointment becomes even more striking when placed against the film’s box-office journey.
Hanuman Ansh released on August 7 and opened to an extremely modest response. Reports put its first-day collection at only around ₹10 lakh. The first couple of weeks remained slow, with the film operating nowhere near the numbers normally associated with a future ₹200 crore blockbuster.
Then something changed.
The audience began discovering the film.
By its third week, the collections started accelerating dramatically. The movie eventually crossed the ₹100 crore mark during its fifth weekend, an extraordinary turnaround for a film made for less than ₹2 crore.
By Day 36, reports put its India gross at around ₹205.15 crore, while its India net had crossed the ₹170 crore mark.
That means the film has generated more than 100 times its reported production budget in gross theatrical revenue.
For the makers, that is arguably a bigger validation than any opening-weekend headline could have delivered.
Why did Hanuman Ansh connect with audiences?
The biggest reason behind the film’s success may be that it did not try to behave like a conventional commercial blockbuster.
There was no dependence on a massive superstar vehicle or an action-heavy formula.
Instead, Hanuman Ansh tells a spiritual story centred on Neem Karoli Baba, also known as Maharaj-ji, and explores themes of faith, devotion, compassion, love and selfless service.
Neem Karoli Baba’s legacy extends far beyond the traditional boundaries of Indian spirituality. His Kainchi Dham ashram in Uttarakhand has become a major spiritual destination, attracting devotees from India and abroad.
His influence has also been discussed in connection with several globally known personalities, including Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Julia Roberts.
That international connection could become particularly important for the franchise going forward.
The Oscar miss could actually change the strategy
Missing the Oscar submission does not end Hanuman Ansh’s international ambitions.
If anything, the situation appears to have pushed the makers toward a broader strategy.
The film has now entered its international release phase, while the Telugu version is scheduled to arrive in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on September 18, 2026, giving the film another opportunity to expand its audience.
The team is also working on versions in additional languages and accessibility initiatives aimed at making the film available to viewers with different abilities.
That suggests the producers are thinking beyond the traditional Hindi theatrical cycle.
And there is a very obvious reason for that.
The audience has already demonstrated that it wants more.
Hanuman Ansh was always planned as a trilogy
The biggest revelation from the makers is that the success of the first film has not suddenly created the sequel plan.
Hanuman Ansh was reportedly conceived as a trilogy from the beginning.
The first instalment focuses on Neem Karoli Baba’s early years and his journey toward Kainchi Dham.
The second instalment is expected to explore the Kainchi Dham period in greater depth, while the third film is being planned on a much larger international canvas.
But fans will have to wait.
Namrata has indicated that the team intends to take a break after an exhausting year-and-a-half-long production and release journey. The next story has not yet been written, and the makers reportedly plan to spend around 90 days regrouping before seriously resuming work.
That could actually be a smart decision.
The biggest danger after an unexpected blockbuster is rushing the sequel.
From Neem Karoli Baba to a global spiritual universe
The third chapter could be the most ambitious.
According to the makers’ vision, it will explore how Neem Karoli Baba’s spiritual influence travelled outside India and touched international personalities.
That gives the franchise an opportunity to move from a conventional biographical film into something much larger — a story about Indian spirituality and its global impact.
There has also been buzz around potential celebrity appearances in the second instalment, including speculation involving Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma.
However, those appearances should not be treated as confirmed casting at this stage. The producer has indicated that conversations or approaches have been made with prominent personalities, but nothing has been officially locked.
And that distinction will become increasingly important as the franchise grows.
Hanuman Ansh is going beyond cinema
Perhaps the most interesting part of the entire Hanuman Ansh story is that the producers are not stopping with films.
The team is developing a video game inspired by the film’s themes and is also working on a comic book with a major Indian publisher.
That means the makers are effectively attempting to build a complete intellectual property around Neem Karoli Baba’s story.
If executed correctly, this could dramatically increase the film’s lifespan.
A theatrical film has a limited release window. A game, comic book, dubbed version and future sequel can keep the property alive for years.
For a film that started with a reported ₹2 crore budget, that is an extraordinary evolution.
The bigger lesson for Bollywood
The Oscar controversy may sting today, but Hanuman Ansh has already achieved something much harder to manufacture: genuine audience discovery.
Its slow opening followed by explosive growth suggests strong word-of-mouth rather than a marketing-driven first-weekend spike.
The missed Oscar deadline is therefore a missed opportunity — but not necessarily a missed legacy.
The film has already demonstrated that audiences can turn a small spiritual drama into a ₹200 crore-plus theatrical phenomenon.
Now the real challenge begins.
Can the makers replicate that magic with Hanuman Ansh 2 without losing the simplicity and emotional connection that made the first film work?
Can the international story translate beyond Indian devotees?
And can the planned game, comic book and trilogy transform a surprise blockbuster into a lasting entertainment franchise?
For now, one thing is certain: Hanuman Ansh may have missed the Oscar race, but it has certainly not missed the moment.
In fact, after turning ₹2 crore into a reported ₹205 crore box-office sensation, the Neem Karoli Baba-inspired film may have just opened the first chapter of a much bigger story.
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