Hanuman Ansh director reveals why he chose assistant director Shobhinaw Satya as lead of Rs 104 crore blockbuster: ‘He doesn’t drink, doesn't…'

Hanuman Ansh has emerged as one of the most unexpected blockbusters this year. According to box-office tracking portal Sacnilk.com, the devotional drama has crossed a whopping Rs 104 crore across India. According to an Indian Express report, the movie is now one of the most profitable Indian dramas this year, earning an amount that is 50 times its budget of Rs 1.7 crore.

In a chat with Lallantop, director Vishal Chaturvedi told The Lallantop how the lead, Shobhinaw Satyaa, was signed for the movie. He was initially involved only as an assistant director.

It took him longer than anticipated to join the project as an assistant director. Chaturvedi was first agitated by Satyaa's arrival, which came two days after the production had started its pre-production phase. But the director's irritation quickly gave way to astonishment when he saw how very similar Satyaa and Neem Karoli Baba were.


Chaturvedi intended to ask Satyaa about his delayed arrival when he first saw him in his office. Rather, Satyaa's appearance caught his attention right away since it strongly reminded him of Maharaj Ji. The director started to question whether his involvement in the project was a sign of good fortune.

In the end, Satyaa was distinguished by a similarity that went beyond his physical characteristics. His demeanour also seemed to fit the role in surprising ways. While other team members were clearly nervous about the project, Chaturvedi saw that Satyaa stayed composed, polite, and happy. The director was impressed by his unwavering optimism and commitment to the project.

Satyaa's acquaintance with the screenplay was an additional benefit. He got a chance to fully comprehend and commit the entire screenplay to memory because the team had spent about 15 days practicing before filming started. Later, when the prospect of him taking on the lead part surfaced, this preparation was beneficial.

According to Chaturvedi, Satyaa's affinity toward spirituality further reinforced the bond. He had been a long-time devotee of Hanuman worship and had believed in Neem Karoli Baba. The director was persuaded that Satyaa would be a suitable candidate to play the main character by his appearance, demeanour, readiness, and spiritual beliefs.

Chaturvedi thought about auditioning Shobhinaw because of the circumstances and his striking resemblance to Neem Karoli Baba. However, as it was already a small AD team with just three members, he first obtained authorisation from the first AD. The director gave Satyaa a disclaimer after he was given the go-ahead, telling him not to worry if he wasn't chosen for the role.

Chaturvedi explained why he decided to choose Satyaa as the hero: He is a vegetarian and didn’t drink or abuse