Before turning into a surprise box office success, Vishal Chaturvedi’s Hanuman Ansh faced several hurdles during its production. One of them was an unexpected emergency, when the original lead actor of the film fell severely ill. That’s when the director decided to audition his own assistant director, Shobhinaw Satyaa, who eventually played the role of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba. In a recent interview, the duo also recalled overcoming location difficulties due to budget constraints during the shoot of Hanuman Ansh.

While speaking to Hindi Rush, actor Shobhinaw shared, “Many people left Hanuman Ansh, because they thought that this film will not be able to go on the floors, they won’t reach the location in Chitrakoot. There was a time that I was the last person standing, thinking that it will happen. I had done independent films earlier and witnessed such problems before.”

He further added, “But in that last moment, even I said that it can’t happen. But, Vishal Chaturvedi  kept saying that we will do it. He used to dedicate himself completely. We were not in the condition to even reach there. But, we somehow boarded that train and reached somehow.” The film was made under a budget of Rs 2 crore and has already earned approximately 23 times of its production cost.

‘Films are shelved in such cases’

Before landing the lead role of Neem Karoli Baba, Shobhinaw Satyaa had joined the film Hanuman Ansh as an assistant director. When the lead actor suddenly fell ill, Shobhinaw stepped into his shoes after director Vishal Chaturvedi’s suggestion. “He had around 40-50 vomits and came drained for the shoot. We wouldn’t have been able to shoot the film with him. Films are shelved in such cases usually, and this was already a small film,” Vishal said.

He continued, “That’s when I got the idea of casting Shobhinaw because he actually looks like Neem Karoli Baba. So, there was a team of three assistants and if one of them was out, only two people were left.”

However, the actor had his own doubts before taking up the role of the spiritual guru. “Sir wasn’t convinced initially, so he asked me a simple question about what was going on in my mind. I then told him that I am such a true follower of baba, what if people aren’t able to accept me? Actors have to face such things. Secondly, I was thinking that the people who think of me as an assistant director, would they accept me? And how would they react? But, sir took the responsibility and said that he is standing behind me,” he recalled.

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About Hanuman Ansh

Hanuman Ansh released at theatres on August 7, and had an extremely slow start at the box office, as it only collected Rs 10 lakh on its first day. But, the devotional drama surprised everyone during its third week as the commercial figures started improving. It is now close to surpassing Rs 150 crore at the box office. The film has already confirmed a sequel and will also be releasing globally.

The movie is based on the life of spiritual guru Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Ansh is written, directed and produced by Dr Vishal Chaturvedi, and features Shobhinaw Satyaa in the lead role.