At just 21, University of Bath economics student Anupriya Nagar has made history at the Indian box office as the world’s youngest producer. Her film Hanuman Ansh—inspired by the revered spiritual saint Neem Karoli Baba—has become an all-time blockbuster. In a recent conversation with Siddharth Kannan, the co-producer opened up about her film, its success, and more.
On Three Women Producing Hanuman Ansh
Anupriya pointed out that she and the fellow producers of Hanuman Ansh didn’t just break box-office earnings records, but also smashed patriarchy. She highlighted that three women producers (Anupriya herself, Ragini S. and Namrata G. Singh) backed first-time director Vishal Chaturvedi for the mythological drama. The 21-year-old also said, ‘I am glad to be part of the project,’ and feels she’s the chosen one.
From a ₹50 Lakh Investment to a ₹50 Crore Return
Revealing the details about the movie’s finances, Anupriya shared the exact budget and profit-sharing structure: “I put in one-third of the entire budget. I invested ₹50 lakh, and the total budget was a little over ₹1.5 crore.”
Speaking on her shares, Anupriya revealed she gets one-fourth of the profit, and the rest is further distributed among the two other producers and the director: ‘So far, it looks like I will be making at least ₹50 crore.”
She also emphasized that this massive figure represents theatrical returns alone. The makers are yet to finalize lucrative OTT streaming, music, and satellite broadcast rights, which will drive the profit margin even higher.
On Screen Cuts And Crisis
Anupriya reveals getting a call saying that, out of 300 screens, their film had reached 30 screens, and the next day it might also be removed because two new movies had come—Batwara and Awarapan 2.
Visiting Bageshwar Dham
The 21-year-old producer shared that during the crisis, she went to meet Bageshwar Dham. She said the first question Dhirendra Shastri asked was how many screens her film was running on, which left her wondering how he knew. She shared that after she opened up to ‘Bageshwar Dham Baba’, he told her not to worry because she had done a good thing, so nothing wrong would happen to her either, and within the next two days her film saw a 22 percent hike.
Hanuman Ansh’s Turnaround
Speaking about the success, Anupriya shared that people ask her what she did to turn the film into a hit. The producer shared that she and her team just kept believing, especially her, when people around her also lost faith.
Comparison To Upcoming Film Ramayana
Anupriya opened up about fan comparisons of Hanuman to Ramayana, Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming high-budget epic starring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram. Drawing parallels to how lead actor Shobhinaw Satyaa fully immersed himself in becoming Neem Karoli Baba, she asserted that portraying a divine figure demands deep spiritual discipline.
“Just giving up non-veg food is not enough,” the young producer remarked. “An actor’s character, mindset, and eating habits must remain pure. Where they go, who they meet, and how they present themselves in public matters immensely when carrying the responsibility of such a holy character.”
Hanuman Ansh Sequel
Anupriya nodded yes; sequel parts of the spiritual trilogy are definitely in the pipeline. While script development is underway, she hinted that the team is taking its time to ensure authenticity, creativity, and quality.
