Vishal Chaturvedi’s Hanuman Ansh may have emerged as one of the year’s surprise box-office hits, but its journey to the big screen was far from smooth. Made on a Rs 2 crore budget, the devotional drama has earned over Rs 169 crore so far. Actor Shobhinaw Satyaa, who plays Neem Karoli Baba, was not originally cast in the lead role. He stepped in after the original actor fell ill on the first day of the shoot.

In a recent interview, Satyaa recalled being “scared” of portraying the spiritual guru and wondering whether audiences would accept him in the role.

During a chat with Dainik Jagran, he shared, “Initially, I was very scared before playing this character, if I will be able to do it or not. I had a fear inside because I am also a believer myself. I was scared of people saying ‘Yeh konsa baba leliya hai’ in the future. All of this was going on in my mind. So, sir calmed me down and said that I just need to perform, and he will take care of everything.”

However, Satyaa said his confidence grew when people at the locations began addressing him as “Baba”.

“When the shoot started, I went to the temple and the people there started chanting ‘Baba, baba’. It was the first day and I wasn’t even sure if I was being able to connect. But on the second day, the team went to the base and I stayed alone at the temple,” he said.

The actor further recalled an unexpected moment that helped him settle into the role.

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“I sat there and someone asked me if I would eat something. I don’t know why but I asked them to get some lehsun (garlic), namak (salt), and roti (chapati). They brought it from the village and I ate it there. Things like this kept happening with me. I didn’t want to do it, but it happened. I even started blessing people whenever they asked for it. Then, I felt more confident.”

‘Would they accept me?’

In an earlier interview with Hindi Rush, Shobhinaw Satyaa had also opened up his doubts before taking on the role of the spiritual saint.

“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 shared.

About Hanuman Ansh

Hanuman Ansh hit the big screen on August 7 and collected just Rs 10 lakh on its opening day. However, the film surprised everyone in its third week when its box office numbers shot up. The film has collected Rs 169.20 crore gross and Rs 143.13 crore net so far.

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