New Delhi: Hanuman Ansh, the spiritual film based on the life and teachings of Baba Neem Karoli, which went on to earn over Rs 450 crore at the global box office, is set for the OTT release November 27 and will stream on Sony LIV platform.
The small-budget film, which struggled to find an audience in the first few weeks of release, later emerged as one of the biggest hits of the year. The film is directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, and is a retelling of the life of Uttarakhand’s revered saint Baba Neem Karoli, whose real name was Lakshman Narayan Sharma.
The Hindi OTT and satellite rights for the film have been secured with Sony, according to a press release
Namrata, co-founder of Swambhu Media Network, IP Owner and producer of the film, said, “Hanuman Ansh” has found the place in history, not just as a film but as an IP with a story which transcends languages and geographical boundaries.”
“We are delighted to have found such empathetic partners for the Hindi-language film with a global media leader like Sony, she said in a statement.
“While the Hindi streaming and satellite rights are now locked, all other languages remain open, and we look forward to partnering with the best in the business across Indian and global markets. Maharaj ji’s story is truly larger than life, and we believe it deserves to reach every corner of the world,” she added.
The film features Shobhinaw Satya alongside Vihaan Shedge, Chandan K Anand, Purnima Tiwari, Anil Rastogi, Gulshan Pandey and Bhagvandas Patel.
Chaturvedi said, “We are taking ‘Hanuman Ansh’ to audiences who cannot access theatres for various reasons, to those who weren’t satisfied with watching the film just once or twice, and to people in small towns and across the world.”
The film follows a grieving young Lakshmi Narayan, who embarks on a spiritual journey in search of God after the death of his mother. As he travels across North India seeking answers to life, death and human suffering, he eventually transforms into the revered saint Neem Karoli Baba, whose teachings of love, service and compassion touched countless lives.
Baba Neem Karoli was born around 1900 in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district and died in 1973. He was married early and became a wandering hermit. His devotees include famous names such as Julia Roberts, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg also reportedly visited his ashram in Kainchi Dham in the hill state.
The film ran in theatres for 90 days and was praised by several celebrities, including Varun Dhawan, Hema Malini, Sanjay Dutt , Kangana Ranaut and Preity Zinta, among others.
It is produced by Chaturvedi, Ragini Sona, Namrata G. Singh, and Anupriya A Nagar.