In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Anupriya spoke about why she was drawn to Neem Karoli Baba’s story, how she ended up investing in and co-producing the film.

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How Anupriya Nagar came on board Hanuman Ansh

For Anupriya, getting into the film industry was never part of the plan. She was studying economics in the UK and had already secured what she describes as her “dream job” in Zurich. Her interest in filmmaking started from a desire to introduce younger audiences to Neem Karoli Baba through his own journey rather than through his association with famous followers.

“I never planned to get into the industry. I have a degree in economics and was studying in the UK. The entire thought for me was that I wanted to take Indian values to people. I wanted to take Neem Karoli Baba’s journey to people. It shouldn’t just be about people knowing that celebrities visit Kainchi Dham or that celebrities follow Neem Karoli Baba. They should know Maharaj Ji through his own journey,” she said.

Anupriya said her interest in the saint’s story developed while she was researching the founders of technology companies as part of a final-year university project. She came across the story of Steve Jobs’ visit to Kainchi Dham during his spiritual journey to India in the 1970s.

Steve Jobs visited Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram at Kainchi Dham during his India trip, while Mark Zuckerberg later visited the ashram after Jobs advised him to do so. This has become an important part of the popular narrative around Kainchi Dham.

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“While I was researching Apple, I found out that Steve Jobs had gone to Kainchi Dham before Apple became what it became. He was very young. That made me wonder why I was learning about Maharaj Ji through foreigners. I felt I should know about him through his own story,” Nagar said.

At the time, she began thinking about making short videos or even a comic book around Neem Karoli Baba’s life. But then she got her job in Zurich.

“I had worked several part-time jobs in the UK and saved money because I thought that when I moved to Zurich, I could lead a comfortable life and not be dependent on my parents,” she recalled.

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A return trip to India for her visa process and some time with her family changed the course of her plans.

‘I read the 120-page script in one sitting’

During that visit, Anupriya met producer Ragini Sona, who told her about Hanuman Ansh.

“I happened to meet Ragini Sona and she told me that they were making this film, Hanuman Ansh. I was interested and told her that I had also been wanting to do something related to Maharaj Ji and his story. So I asked her if she could let me read the script so that I could get to know more about Maharaj Ji. I finished the 120-page script in one sitting,” she said.

“I started thinking that it was a beautifully written script. I became inquisitive about what the film would be like and asked her if there was a way I could contribute. She told me that the shoot had already been completed, post-production was about to begin and the film needed funds,” she added.

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Anupriya said the timing appeared to fit the larger purpose she had been looking for.

“All this time I was looking for an opportunity to bring Maharaj Ji’s story to the world, and then I got the chance and grabbed it,” she said.

She subsequently met the team and came on board as one of the producers.

Anupriya described her entry into the project as something that happened to her.

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“I feel I didn’t choose the product; Hanuman Ansh chose me.”

She also recalled how her family initially reacted to her decision to leave behind a promising economics career and a job in Zurich.

“When I told my family, initially my father thought, ‘Has the girl lost her way? She studied economics in the UK, got a job in Zurich and now she wants to come back and get into this industry?’”

Anupriya put in one-third of the entire budget. “I put Rs 50 lakh in the film, and the budget was a little over Rs 1.5 crore. I will get one-fourth of the profits. First, the distributor will take their cut. Then we also pay for other expenses and pay taxes. Then whatever is left will be divided among the four of us.”

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On Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana

Anupriya also spoke about Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming Ramayana and reports of Ranbir Kapoor leaving non vegetarian food while preparing for the role. Asked whether changing one’s diet is enough preparation for portraying a revered figure, she said it was only one part of a much larger responsibility.

“As Premanand Maharaj Ji said, their character should be right, their food habits should be right, and it is important that they are cautious about where they are seen, where they are going and the kind of people they are meeting.”

According to Anupriya, the process also requires humility once a film becomes successful.

“It should be done with a lot of purity. If you have reached that success, it should not get to your head. You should be very simple. You have to walk on that path, and if you don’t walk on that path, how will you reach the place where you are able to play that character?”

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She maintained that giving up non-vegetarian food is only one aspect of such preparation.

“Changing the diet from non-vegetarian to vegetarian is just one of the things, it is not the only thing. You have to take a sankalp. In our movie, the entire team used to recite the Hanuman Chalisa before the shoot. So they have to walk on that path. It is not just one thing.”

‘I didn’t like Adipurush; I couldn’t connect with it’

Anupriya also spoke about her expectations from Ramayana, while recalling her disappointment with Om Raut’s Adipurush.

“I didn’t like Adipurush. I was looking forward to it, but when I watched the film, I wasn’t able to connect with it. There was too much VFX and it was glamourised a lot. Ravana, in particular, was glamourised a lot. I couldn’t connect with that.”

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She said she is looking forward to seeing how Ramayana approaches the source material.

“I am very excited for Ramayana to come out and see what kind of story it is. The trailer was wonderful. There is a lot of detailing. There is AI and VFX, but it has been made in a very beautiful way.”

At the same time, Anupriya said she was less comfortable with the film’s promotion around its reported scale and budget.

“There is one thing that I don’t understand. The way they are glamourising that this is an X-thousand-crore film — I don’t like that. I don’t like people promoting the film on that basis. I want to know about Ramayana because of the mythological story that it is. But I am very excited for it.”

Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, is planned as a two-part film, with the first part scheduled for Diwali 2026 and the second for Diwali 2027.