From Hanuman Ansh To Mahavatar Narsimha: Why Devotional Cinema Is Winning The Box Office

Are devotional films witnessing a resurgence thanks to the recent success of Hanuman Ansh and Mahavatar Narsimha, and the buzz surrounding the much-hyped upcoming biggie, Ramayana: Part I?

The unprecedented manner in which Hanuman Ansh knocked the ball out of the park has made Bollywood watchers swivel their heads and take notice. Made on a shoestring budget of just Rs 2 crores, this devotional biography has netted a staggering Rs 340 crores at the box office so far. 

This sleeper success had no A-list stars, no massive CGI and a simple story. It traced the spiritual travels of Lakshmi Narayan who eventually transformed into the internationally renowned guru, Neem Karoli Baba. The film opened to just Rs 10 lakh on day one, but positive word of mouth whipped up a whirlwind at the box office.

Shyam Shroff, the veteran B-town distributor, financer, and exhibitor, is impressed at the scale of the success. “What I liked about the film was the music,” he pointed out. “Good music is crucial in keeping the audience hooked.”

Mythology strikes back

Hanuman Ansh comes quick on the heels of another faith-based superhit -- 2025’s Mahavatar Narsimha. This animation pathbreaker related the story of Lord Vishnu’s fourth avatar and his endearingly portrayed child devotee, Bhakt Prahlad.

Mythological themes have been interwoven into several action dramas of late. The 2024 blockbuster, Kalki 2928 AD, straddled two worlds with Prabhas playing Bhairava living in a dystopian future and Karna from the Mahabharat. Sizeable successes such as Brahmastra, Kantara and Hanu-Man also followed this template.

Increasingly, Indian Cinema can't seem to get enough of religious themes. Besides Ramayan, another biggie in the making is Mahavtar Parshuram with Vicky Kaushal in the title role. Akshaye Khanna is following up on his recent triumphs by playing Asuraguru Shukracharya in the Telugu film, Mahakal. And Aamir Khan has reportedly evinced interest in adapting the Mahabharat onscreen.

Bollywood's tent is big enough to accommodate varied genres. India’s very first film Raja Harishchandra (1913) had a mythological theme, but the devotional film was largely neglected by post millennial Hindi cinema. Now, however, the genre seems freshly reinvigorated.

The Ramayana Test

With big budgets, cutting-edge visual effects and sky-high expectations, Ramayana could prove to be the ultimate test of whether faith-based cinema can sustain its current box-office momentum.

Shroff opined, “See, once a genre does well, several people always follow the trend. But there's no guarantee that every film will run. A lot depends on Ramayana which releases this Diwali. Tonnes of money has been spent and Americans are involved so technically the film must be brilliant. Now, the human interest should also be strong.”

Shishir Sharma, who plays the revered Sage Vasishtha in the upcoming Nitesh Tiwari-directed Ramayana, is excitedly awaiting the response to the epically scaled film and to his performance. He revealed, “While I was shooting for the film, I was focussed on my own performance. But while dubbing, I was blown away by the fantastic VFX. Also, Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama has brought in the right account of thairav.”

Shishir believes “mythological films are here to stay because India is a land of believers” but, at the same time, sighs, “I don't see myself doing another mythological film because you have to stay in the heavy costume and makeup throughout the day. It’s gruelling work” Making an observation from the creative angle, Sharma added, “It was a difficult part to portray because there is no reference point for a character from thousands of years ago.”

Winning over Gen Z

Stories that are several millennia old are now sought to be told in a way that Gen Z finds them relatable. Will they? Lucknow-based Radhika Pandey (23), who runs PLC Jazba, a space for women empowerment, averred, “Gen Z is smart. You have to give them logic. If a film raises questions and answers them with depth, Gen Z will not just watch it, they will celebrate it. Mythology will always work in India, but only if the content is honest."

The youngster continued, "Look at Hanuman Ansh. The ‘Parvati Parvati’ song has crores of views on YouTube because it is a beautiful fusion of Western beats and the soul of Indian folk. The film's simplicity was its strength. India connects to simplicity, not showing-off. You can't fool the audience with VFX and grandeur. You need emotional connect and terrific actors. It is not easy for an actor to find acceptance in these roles. That's why Arun Govil is still Lord Ram and Nitish Bharadwaj is still Lord Krishna for many who have re-watched their iconic TV shows."

Faith across formats

Shiv Sagar, the director grandson of the late Ramanand Sagar who helmed the landmark TV show ‘Ramayan’, insisted that the trend for faith-based shows was not new. He stated, “My 75-year-old mother went to the theatre and watched Hanuman Ansh. It's good, but we have been making TV shows in the genre since 1985.”

Shiv informed, “Recently, we produced ‘Kakbhusundi Ramayan’ which ran for 312 episodes, becoming the Number 1 show on Doordarshan. The Sagar school of storytelling adds Bhakti ras, and we also explore symbolism and deeper esoteric meanings in the stories.”

Actor Danish Akhtar has played Hanuman in four TV shows, and he politely stated, “I started my career with ‘Siya Ke Ram’ and did several similar shows, but I don't call them mythological shows; I call them historicals. 90% of historical shows are hits. In the future, there are going to be even more such shows thanks to AI and technological innovations.”

“I am very grateful to uparwala for my shows. Currently, I am also doing a theatre play ‘Humare Ram’ in which I play Hanuman and Ashutosh Rana plays Ravan. People bought tickets even for Rs 35,000 and our show was sold out every weekend at the NMACC (Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre). It proves that on any platform -- OTT, film, TV or the stage -- people will watch good content.”

Shiv agrees wholeheartedly. “I'm terribly excited for the future. It is a dream come true for a filmmaker like me, because this genre of history/fantasy/mythology is finally picking up in India, and people want to connect to their roots and traditions.”

When faith pays

Fifty years ago, the devotional film Jai Santoshi Maa gave even a behemoth like Sholay a tough fight when returns on investment were calculated thanks to its miniscule budget. Similarly, today, Hanuman Ansh is not only a blockbuster, but in terms of ROI (return on investment) its percentage of profit also outclasses 2006's commercial juggernauts like Dhurandhar The Revenge and Drishyam 3.

The question on everyone's lips now is: Faith moves mountains, but will it also continue to send filmmakers laughing all the way to the bank?