Top News

Who is Anupriya Nagar? At just 21, the University of Bath student has made headlines with her debut film ‘Hanuman Ansh’, proving that a career in cinema can begin in the most unexpected way. With no filmmaking background or Bollywood connections, Anupriya turned a university economics assignment into the inspiration for a film based on the life and teachings of Neem Karoli Baba.

Who Is Anupriya Nagar?

Anupriya Nagar is a 21-year-old student at the University of Bath in Britain. Unlike many young filmmakers, she did not come from a film family or train at a prestigious film institute. Her entry into cinema came while working on an investment and banking project for her economics course.

While researching businessman Steve Jobs, Anupriya came across his well-known connection with Neem Karoli Baba. Intrigued by the spiritual figure's influence on Jobs, she began exploring Baba's life and teachings, eventually deciding to bring the story to the big screen.

How Did Anupriya Nagar Make ‘Hanuman Ansh’?

What began as an academic project soon became a much bigger undertaking. Anupriya and her team spent nearly a year researching Neem Karoli Baba's life, travelling to places associated with him and speaking to people who had known or interacted with the spiritual leader.

The team visited locations including Chitrakoot and Vrindavan as part of their research. Anupriya wanted to tell the story in a way that could connect with younger viewers as well as audiences outside India.

‘Hanuman Ansh’ Box Office Journey

‘Hanuman Ansh’ opened in theatres on August 7 but initially struggled to attract audiences. The film reportedly earned around ₹1.08 crore during its first week, while its second-week collection fell to approximately ₹40 lakh.

However, the film's fortunes changed dramatically in its third week. Strong word-of-mouth publicity helped the movie witness a major jump in collections, with its third-week business reportedly reaching ₹10.40 crore.

The momentum continued into the fourth week. The film recorded single-day collections of ₹6.25 crore on Day 22, ₹9.25 crore on Day 23 and ₹12.75 crore on Day 24.

According to reports cited by Sacnilk, ‘Hanuman Ansh’ had collected a net ₹61.38 crore in India by Day 27, while its gross collection had crossed the ₹99 crore mark.

From an economics assignment at a university in Britain to an unexpected box-office success in India, Anupriya Nagar's journey behind ‘Hanuman Ansh’ is certainly an unusual debut story.