'Neem Karoli Baba's blessings...and charity': What 21-year-old Anupriya Nagar plans to do with ‘Hanuman Ansh’ profits as movie crosses Rs 150 crore

A film made on a reported budget of around Rs 2 crore has turned into one of the surprise box-office stories of 2026. Hanuman Ansh, based on the life and teachings of Neem Karoli Baba, has crossed the Rs 150 crore mark, bringing an extraordinary return for its makers. Among them is 21-year-old Anupriya Nagar, an economist who never intended to enter filmmaking. Now, she has revealed what she wants to do with the profits from the film’s success.

21-year-old producer has a different plan for the profits

For Anupriya Nagar, the success of Hanuman Ansh was never about making a box-office hit. Speaking to Doordarshan, Nagar said making a film on Maharaj Ji was a risk, but she had never entered the project with box-office collections as her primary goal. She expressed happiness that audiences were watching and loving the film, adding that at just 21, she was unsure what she would do with so much money. However, Nagar has since revealed that she already has an idea of how she wants to use the financial returns.

According to reports by Indian Express, she said Maharaj Ji had blessed the team with a lot from the beginning. Rather than treating the profits as a personal windfall, she wants to use the money to help underprivileged children and contribute to charity.

From Rs 2 crore budget to Rs 150 crore success

Hanuman Ansh has emerged as a remarkable low-budget success story. Reportedly made for approximately Rs 2 crore, the film has gone on to cross the Rs 150 crore milestone at the box office following its August release. The film’s performance has also drawn praise from Film Trade Analyst Taran Adarsh, who described it as the biggest success story of 2026.

Written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, Hanuman Ansh explores the life and teachings of Neeb Karori Baba, popularly known as Maharaj Ji. His devotees revere him as an incarnation of Lord Hanuman. According to the film’s press release, the story is rooted in Bharat’s timeless Sant Parampara and focuses on the saint’s message of love, devotion and service. Its central philosophy revolves around the ideas of loving all, serving all, feeding all and remembering Ram. The film’s synopsis also describes Baba as a saint who remained untouched by power, politics, ownership and praise, with his simple teachings forming the spiritual heart of the story.

She never planned to become a filmmaker

What makes Nagar’s journey to Hanuman Ansh particularly unusual is that filmmaking was never part of her original career plans. According to her LinkedIn profile, Nagar is a Film Producer and Economist. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Bath, where she spent three years completing her degree. After graduating, she had planned to move to Switzerland after securing a promising job in the art industry. She told ABP Live that neither returning to India nor making a film had been part of her plans.

That changed because of an unlikely starting point: an economics assignment involving Steve Jobs.

How Steve Jobs led her to Neem Karoli Baba

During her final year at university, Nagar was working on an economics assignment related to investment and banking. As part of her research, she studied Steve Jobs, the late Apple co-founder, as a businessman and thinker. While researching Jobs and the origins of ideas associated with technology entrepreneurs, she discovered his connection with Neem Karoli Baba and learned about his visit to Kainchi Dham. The revelation caught her attention because she had encountered information about an Indian spiritual figure through a foreign source. It prompted her to investigate Neem Karoli Baba’s life and influence more deeply.

Her curiosity eventually led her to director Vishal Chaturvedi. What began as an unexpected discovery during a university assignment ultimately became a film project and, eventually, one of the year’s biggest box-office surprises.

Who was Neem Karoli Baba?

Neeb Karori Baba, also known as Neem Karoli Baba and Maharaj Ji, is a revered Indian spiritual figure whose devotees consider him an incarnation of Lord Hanuman. His teachings were centred on love, devotion and service, themes that form the foundation of Hanuman Ansh. The film seeks to bring his life and philosophy to a wider audience, while presenting a story of faith, humility and service. Hanuman Ansh is scheduled to release internationally on September 11, 2026.