'Hanuman Ansh' crosses Rs 400 crore at global box office

"Hanuman Ansh", a film based on the life and teachings of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba, has crossed the Rs 400 crore mark at the global box office.

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

According to trade tracking website Sacnilk, the film's worldwide collection stands at Rs 401.20 crore.

Made on a budget of around Rs 2 crore, "Hanuman Ansh" was released in Indian theatres on August 7. The film opened to modest numbers and recorded relatively low collections during its first two weeks before gaining momentum on the back of positive word-of-mouth.

The film stars Shobhinaw Satya in the lead role, alongside Vihaan Shedge, Chandan K Anand, Purnima Tiwari, Anil Rastogi, Gulshan Pandey and Bhagvandas Patel.

"Hanuman Ansh" initially released on 250 screens but has since expanded to 2,000 screens following its strong box office performance.

Neem Karoli Baba was born around 1900 in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district and died in 1973. He married at a young age before becoming a wandering hermit.

His devotees have included several prominent names, including actor Julia Roberts and cricketers Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg have also reportedly visited his ashram at Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand.