Hyderabad: Director Gurmmeet Singh, known for helming the popular Mirzapur franchise, has reacted to the strong box office performance of Hanuman Ansh. The filmmaker said the success of the devotional drama, which is very different from his crime thriller Mirzapur: The Movie, shows that audiences are willing to watch films across genres when they connect with the content.
Speaking to a webloid, Gurmmeet Singh spoke about the success of both films and said, “It’s absolutely amazing considering that they are drastically different genres. It just puts so much faith in the cinegoers, confirming that as long as they like what they see, they will keep the cinema halls full.”
Hanuman Ansh, directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, is inspired by the life and teachings of spiritual figure Neem Karoli Baba. The film follows Lakshman Das, who leaves his home after the death of his mother and later becomes the spiritual figure Neem Karoli Baba. Shobhinaw Satyaa plays the lead role in the film.
The film, which was released in theatres on August 7, has reportedly performed strongly at the box office. According to the figures mentioned in the report, Hanuman Ansh has earned over Rs 300 crore net in India, while its worldwide gross collection has crossed Rs 400 crore.
While speaking about Hanuman Ansh, Gurmmeet also reflected on the response to Mirzapur: The Movie. The film arrived in cinemas on September 4 and brought the popular Prime Video franchise to the big screen.
The director admitted that the response to the film was bigger than what he had expected. “I don’t think anyone could’ve imagined the response we have received. The fandom for the franchise was huge, but to see them arrive in cinemas and wholeheartedly enjoy the film has been an unbelievable experience and one that we will always cherish,” he said.
The filmmaker also explained that the idea of bringing Mirzapur to theatres was not new. According to him, the response to the first two episodes of Mirzapur at the MAMI festival in 2018 gave the team an early indication that the franchise could work in a theatrical setting.
Gurmmeet said producer Ritesh Sidhwani had been discussing a big-screen version of Mirzapur with him and writer Puneet Krishna since 2019. The idea eventually took shape with Mirzapur: The Movie.
As of Day 25, Mirzapur: The Movie had reportedly collected Rs 227.65 crore net in India, while its worldwide gross stood at Rs 331.42 crore.
Written by Puneet Krishna and directed by Gurmmeet Singh, Mirzapur: The Movie stars Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyendu Sharma, Rasika Dugal, Ravi Kishan and Mohit Maalik. The story continues the power struggle for the throne of Mirzapur, with familiar characters returning and Babban “Babua” entering the battle.
Gurmmeet Singh is now working on Pan Parda Zarda, a new web series featuring Mona Singh, Tanvi Azmi and Tanya Maniktala. He also has two streaming shows and a feature film in development under his production banner, Cheetah on the Moon.