As Vishal Chaturvedi’s devotional film Hanuman Ansh crosses the Rs 85 crore gross mark at the domestic box office, its popularity continues to grow, with more people, including celebrities, joining the audience. A day after filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar hailed it as a fascinating case study, cricketer Virender Sehwag described it as a perfect glimpse into the life of revered guru Neem Karoli Baba, also known as Maharaj ji.

Virender Sehwag champions Hanuman Ansh

“There are some people who you can’t describe in words. No matter how much you try, you can’t do justice to them,” said Sehwag in a selfie video he shared on his Instagram handle on Thursday. He revealed he got to know about Neem Karoli Baba through very old close friends, who’ve been longtime followers of the spiritual figure.

“Around 10 years ago, a friend told me about Maharaj ji and his leelayein. Since then, I’ve been hearing and following him. And there’s been a tremendous attraction towards Maharaj ji. His personality, empathy, kindness, and the transformation he’s brought about in his followers’ lives demonstrate how he used to make a person meet their true self without any words or claims,” added the cricketer.

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Virender Sehwag claimed that even 53 years after Neem Karoli Baba left his mortal self, his empathy lives on in his followers. He could also feel a glimpse of that when he watched Hanuman Ansh recently. “It’s not possible to capture Maharaj ji’s life in just one film. It’s a very well written and beautifully made film. And I feel it’s a very beautiful tribute to Maharaj ji,” he remarked.

Sehwag even picked his favourite scene from Hanuman Ansh, the one where a person refers to Neem Karoli Baba as “Bhola” (Lord Shiva) when he sees a snake wrapped around the latter’s neck. But Maharaj ji claims it’s the man who’s Bhola, since the beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. “Maybe everyone saw themselves whenever they looked at Maharaj ji. A saint like him comes only every few centuries in India,” he said.

About Hanuman Ansh

Hanuman Ansh stars Shobhinav Satya as Neem Karoli Baba, and traces his path of spirituality and social influence. It released in only 25 cinemas across India on August 7, and opened at only Rs 10 lakh that day. However, it picked up pace two weeks later, crossing the Rs 1 crore mark on day 16, its third Sunday, when it earned Rs 2.50 crore.

Despite competition from tentpole Independence Day releases like Rajkumar Santoshi’s Partition film Batwara 1947, starring Sunny Deol, and Nitin Kakkar’s action thriller Awarapan 2, starring Emraan Hashmi, Hanuman Ansh managed to hold its own. On its fourth Sunday, the film earned over Rs 12 crore, surpassing its combined earnings from the first three weeks of release.

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Starting this week, Hanuman Ansh has managed to earn more than Geethu Mohandas’ pan-India action thriller Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups, starring Yash, every day to amass over Rs 85 crore at the domestic box office so far. Made on a modest budget of less than Rs 2 crore, it’s emerged as the most profitable Indian film of this year, even beating Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster spy thriller Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge, starring Ranveer Singh. Given its trajectory at the domestic box office, Hanuman Ansh has now been picked by Hombale Films for global distribution, starting September 11.