The Bollywood industry is currently witnessing a contrast between two films. On one hand, 'Ramayana,' considered one of the most ambitious projects in Indian cinema, attracts attention due to the participation of major stars such as Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, and Sai Pallavi, as well as a huge budget. On the other hand, the film 'Hanuman ANSH,' made for only about 2 crore rupees, lacks superstars, a multi-billion dollar budget, or global support on par with Hollywood.
Nevertheless, the small picture demonstrated such success at the box office that it is now being discussed in the context of big-budget films.
'Hanuman ANSH,' inspired by the life of Neem Karoli Baba, initially showed slow pace at the box office, opening with approximately 10 lakhs. However, gradually audience interest grew, and box office collections began to rise rapidly. According to reports, the film collected around 193 crore rupees in 35 days. This means the film earned income approximately 96 times its budget, causing a stir in the film industry. Usually, a film's strength is considered to be major stars, a large budget, and active promotion, but 'Hanuman ANSH' refuted all these notions.
The main feature of 'Hanuman ANSH' was the absence of support from major Bollywood or South Indian cinema stars. The film is based on the spiritual journey of Neem Karoli Baba, and its strength lay in the story, faith, and word-of-mouth of the audience. Public interest in the picture grew so much that it earned around 61 crore rupees in the fourth week, maintaining good standing into the fifth week. Thus, the film did not rely on star power to attract an audience on day one, but gradually won the trust of the viewers.
On the other side is Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana.' In this film, Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, and Yash plays Ravana. The film is planned to be released in two parts and was created keeping a global audience in mind. The budget of 4000 crore rupees caused the most resonance. However, the situation here is somewhat different: Yash clarified that 4000 crore covers not only the expenses for the first part but also the costs for the release and promotion of both parts, especially those related to global and Hollywood promotion. Therefore, calling it simply 'a production budget of 4000 crore for one film' is incorrect, but it is obvious that the stakes in 'Ramayana' are extremely high.
The real challenge for 'Ramayana' lies not in box office collections, but in expectations. Since 'Ramayana' has not yet been released, it would be premature to say that it failed to meet its budget. The first episode of the film is scheduled for release in November 2026. Nevertheless, the pressure on the film is palpable. When the figure of 4000 crore is attached to the picture, stars like Ranbir Kapoor and Yash appear, and we are talking about Hollywood-level visual effects and global distribution; audience expectations automatically increase. Now, for the film to succeed, it will not be enough just to be good; viewers will demand that the scale announced in the budget be visible on screen.
Social media reactions to the teasers and trailers of 'Ramayana' were mixed. Some viewers highly appreciated the scale and visual effects, while others questioned the VFX and characters. Even after the trailer's release, the image of Ravana by Yash and the role of Rama by Ranbir continued to be actively discussed. Despite the huge interest in the film, there is another problem—a mountain of expectations. It is here that 'Hanuman ANSH' unintentionally poses a difficult question to 'Ramayana.'
The box office success of 'Hanuman ANSH' sends a direct signal: audiences buy stories and emotions, not always the budget. If a film costing 2 crore rupees can approach 190 crore, this is not just a victory for a low-budget picture; it is a serious question to the idea that the bigger the budget, the higher the probability of success. In recent years, many examples of low-budget films achieving success have emerged, but the case of 'Hanuman ANSH' is unique because the film did not initially create much hype. It slowly won the hearts of the viewers and then secured its place at the box office.
Thus, 'Hanuman ANSH' is not exactly a direct competitor to 'Ramayana' in terms of box office, as the scale, budget, cast, and vision of these two films are completely different. However, an interesting confrontation has arisen between them on an ideological level. One film asserts: 'We have a scale of thousands of crores.' The other says: 'We only had a story, faith, and audience trust, and look where we got to.' The real test awaits 'Ramayana' after its premiere. If Ranbir's and Yash's film can connect its grand scale with the feelings of the viewers, then...
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