Producer Namrata Singh opened up about the success of Hanuman Ansh and addressed whether Neem Karoli Baba’s celebrity devotees could appear in the film’s sequel. Hanuman Ansh, a devotional drama based on the life of Neem Karoli Baba, has emerged as one of the surprise successes of the year. Written, directed and produced by Vishal Chaturvedi, the film has also sparked curiosity about whether some of the spiritual leader’s well-known devotees, including Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli and Julia Roberts, could appear in its sequel. Producer Namrata Singh recently opened up about the film’s future and revealed that Hanuman Ansh was planned as part of a trilogy. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Singh said the three-part series is based on Chaturvedi’s book Divine Detour: That Changed My Life. When asked whether celebrity devotees such as Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli or Julia Roberts could feature in the upcoming films, Singh said she had already reached out to some of them. “I have reached out to some of them, and (they) were aware of the film earlier,” she said Singh also explained how the story will develop across the trilogy. The first film focuses on Neem Karoli Baba’s early life and traces his journey up to the construction of the Kainchi Dam.

According to Singh, the second instalment will centre on Kainchi and explore the lives of his Indian devotees. “The Kainchi story is about the Indian devotees,” Singh said, adding that the third film will take the story beyond India and explore Neem Karoli Baba’s influence on people around the world. She said the third instalment will focus on how the spiritual leader’s teachings reached international audiences, mentioning figures such as Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Julia Roberts. Hanuman Ansh follows the early life of Lakshmi Narayan in pre-Independence India. After the death of his mother, he leaves home in search of God and travels across North India. The film chronicles his spiritual journey and eventual transformation into Neem Karoli Baba. Shobhinaw Satyaa plays the titular role, while the cast includes Chandan Anand, Anil Rastogi, Sugandha Malhotra, Bhagvandas Patel, Neha Paranjpe, Uday Sinh Rajput, Purnima Tiwari and Gautam Tripathi. Made on a modest budget, the film was released in theatres on August 7. Although it had a slow start at the box office, positive word of mouth helped the film gain momentum in the days that followed. According to trade website Sacnilk, Hanuman Ansh has collected ₹173.63 crore net. The film was also released worldwide on September 11, with Hombale Films handling its distribution.