'Hanuman Ansh' earns Rs 227 crore at box office on Rs 2-crore budget

"Hanuman Ansh", a film based on the life and teachings of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba, has grossed Rs 227 crore at the box office, emerging as an unlikely success after opening to modest collections.

Directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, the film follows Lakshminarayan, a grieving young man who sets out on a spiritual journey in search of God after the death of his mother.

According to trade tracking website Sacnilk, the film's net domestic collection stands at Rs 192.13 crore.

Made on a budget of just Rs 2 crore, "Hanuman Ansh" was released in Indian theatres on August 7. It opened on 250 screens and recorded subdued collections during its first two weeks before gaining momentum on the back of positive word-of-mouth.

The film's screen count has since increased to around 2,000 as its box-office performance picked up.

Shobhinaw Satya plays the lead role, with Vihaan Shedge, Chandan K Anand, Purnima Tiwari, Anil Rastogi, Gulshan Pandey and Bhagvandas Patel also featuring in the cast.

Neem Karoli Baba, on whose life and teachings the film is based, was born around 1900 in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district and died in 1973. He was married at a young age before becoming a wandering hermit.

His teachings have attracted followers across the world, including celebrities such as Julia Roberts, while cricketer Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma are also among his devotees.

Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg have also reportedly visited his ashram at Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand.