Almost 50 years before Hanuman Ansh, a Rs 3 lakh devotional movie became a huge cultural phenomenon. People used to garland the film’s posters, perform aarti and even remove their footwear before entering theatres.

Devotional film Hanuman Ansh is making headlines with its remarkable box-office run. Released in Indian theatres on August 7, the film opened to modest numbers but gradually gained momentum through word of mouth.

According to trade tracker Sacnilk, Hanuman Ansh had collected ₹72.97 crore gross and ₹61.88 crore net in India by its 27th day. Hombale Films has also announced that the film, inspired by the life and teachings of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba, will get an international release on September 11.

Almost 50 years earlier, another devotional film had an equally unusual journey—and became one of the most remarkable underdog stories in Hindi cinema.

The low-budget film that became a spiritual phenomenon and challenged Sholay

Released in 1975 as a small-budget mythological film, Jai Santoshi Maa initially received little attention. But its devotional songs, particularly “Main Toh Aarti Utaaru Re,” helped transform it into a cultural phenomenon, with audiences treating screenings almost like religious gatherings.

The film's impact was particularly striking among women. On Fridays, some viewers reportedly removed their footwear before entering theatres and garlanded the film's posters. There were also reports of audiences performing aarti inside theatres, while unofficial temples dedicated to Santoshi Maa appeared in different places.

The phenomenon became even more remarkable because Jai Santoshi Maa was sharing the theatrical landscape with Sholay. While Sholay became the year's dominant blockbuster, film historian Dilip Thakur described Jai Santoshi Maa as the rare film that managed to stand its ground amid the action epic's enormous craze.

Music was central to its success. Composer C. Arjun and lyricist Kavi Pradeep created devotional songs that audiences embraced beyond the cinema hall. “Main Toh Aarti Utaaru Re,” sung by Usha Mangeshkar, became popular as an actual prayer and continues to be associated with devotional gatherings.

The film's extraordinary reception also extended to its theatres. Reports describe cinema halls where viewers left their footwear outside, distributed sweets as prasad and treated the screening space almost like a temple.

Its financial performance was just as striking. Although estimates of its budget and eventual earnings vary across accounts, Jai Santoshi Maa is widely remembered as a remarkably low-budget blockbuster whose returns were extraordinary compared with its modest production scale.

What began as an “Also Run” release eventually became a devotional movement and one of the biggest sleeper hits in Hindi cinema history. Its story also offers an intriguing parallel with Hanuman Ansh: both films started without the conventional trappings of a major blockbuster before finding an audience through faith, word of mouth and an unusually strong connection with viewers.