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By:

Kiran D. Tare

21 August 2024 at 4:53:13 pm

From Doctor to Box-Office Disruptor

Vishal Chaturvedi has turned a deeply personal spiritual story into one of 2026’s biggest box-office surprises. In an industry where films routinely arrive with star salaries running into crores, lavish sets and multi-crore marketing campaigns, Hanuman Ansh is a striking anomaly. Made on a shoestring budget reportedly in the region of Rs. 2 crore, the ‘spiritual’ film opened last month to a modest box-office collection. Within weeks, however, audiences began taking a shine to the film with...

From Doctor to Box-Office Disruptor

Vishal Chaturvedi has turned a deeply personal spiritual story into one of 2026’s biggest box-office surprises. In an industry where films routinely arrive with star salaries running into crores, lavish sets and multi-crore marketing campaigns, Hanuman Ansh is a striking anomaly. Made on a shoestring budget reportedly in the region of Rs. 2 crore, the ‘spiritual’ film opened last month to a modest box-office collection. Within weeks, however, audiences began taking a shine to the film with the phenomenal result that its domestic collections had surged past the Rs. 150 crore mark. Whatever the final tally, the fact that a film made for a fraction of the budgets of mainstream Bollywood productions has emerged as a major commercial success has raised eyebrows. The man responsible for this is Vishal Chaturvedi, a doctor-turned-filmmaker, writer and producer whose route to cinema has been anything but conventional. Chaturvedi was born and brought up in Lucknow and completed his MBBS from Gorakhpur in 2006. While posted in Haldwani that year, he visited Kainchi Dham. It was there that he encountered the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba, the spiritual figure whose life and philosophy would eventually become the foundation of his first feature film. For almost two decades, the thought of making a film around Neem Karoli Baba remained with Chaturvedi. His journey towards Hanuman Ansh itself reportedly took nearly 14 years. Along the way, he left medicine and even gave up music before committing himself fully to filmmaking. What might appear in retrospect as an overnight success was therefore anything but overnight. Hanuman Ansh tells the story of Lakshminarayan, who would later become Neem Karoli Baba. Following his mother’s death, the young Lakshman leaves home in search of God. His journey through forests, temples and villages becomes a gradual renunciation of worldly life and a movement towards spirituality. The film also incorporates episodes associated with Neem Karoli Baba, including the famous account of a British train being stopped after he was forced off it. But perhaps the most revealing part of Chaturvedi’s story is not what he put into the film, but what he deliberately kept out while writing it. He removed digital devices from his room and wrote the story entirely by hand. His assistants subsequently photographed the handwritten pages and converted them into digital form. He spent nearly 45 days writing the first scene alone. For Chaturvedi, however, the first scene was the foundation of the entire film. Once he had found it, the rest of the screenplay came together rapidly, taking another 15 to 20 days. Hanuman Ansh was the culmination of a personal conviction that had survived for nearly 20 years. Its success also raises a larger question about the changing economics of Indian cinema. The film is unlikely to signal the death of stars, spectacle or big budgets. Nor does every low-budget film with a strong idea automatically become a blockbuster. But Hanuman Ansh, alongside other recent successes such as Dhurandhar, points towards something increasingly important: content can create its own market when audiences feel they have discovered something worth talking about. The old model depended heavily on pre-release visibility. The new one increasingly depends on post-release conversation. A film need not necessarily dominate advertising if audiences themselves become its marketing department. That is particularly significant for films operating outside the traditional Bollywood template. Hanuman Ansh does not have the conventional ingredients of a commercial blockbuster. Its subject is spiritual, its central character is not a contemporary superstar and its budget was tiny by industry standards. Yet its audience appears to have expanded precisely because it offered something different. Today, audiences are becoming less willing to accept that the size of a film’s budget determines its value. They can reject an expensive production and embrace a modest one if the latter connects emotionally, culturally or spiritually. For Chaturvedi, the irony is striking. A man who walked away from medicine to pursue filmmaking spent years chasing a story that the mainstream industry apparently did not rush to embrace. That makes Hanuman Ansh’s success more than a box-office curiosity. It is a reminder that while budgets and big-name stars may buy scale and draw attention, the belief among audiences that a particular film is telling a solid story and hence must be seen is priceless. Chaturvedi appears to have spent years building his belief around one story. Judging by the box office receipts, the audience, too, seems to have bought into it.

The Rebel Who Refused to Sing by the Rules

Writer: Ccholena Chaturvedi
Ccholena Chaturvedi
Apr 12
3 min read

New Delhi: Asha Bhosle chose unpredictability in an industry that thrived on predictability. She quietly turned that into a power that could not be robbed, replicated, or replaced. She didn’t just lend her voice for playback singing; she challenged norms and redefined femininity in films. She went on to build a career spanning over eight decades on choices many wouldn’t dare to make.


She defined herself not with rebellion that shouted but with one that sang boldly, sensuously, playfully and unapologetically. While others stayed within the safe boundaries of melody and tradition, Asha broke them – note by note!


In O. P. Nayyar’s compositions, her voice discovered its fearless, untamed spirit. Songs like Aaiye Meherbaan spoke volumes about their musical chemistry.


Beyond Shadow

Coming from the legendary Mangeshkar family, she often found herself in the shadow of her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar. While others perceived that shadow to be suffocating for her, she turned that challenge in her favour and shaped her individuality. When she embarked on her career, she was offered what the industry considered “leftover” songs – cabaret numbers, club songs and bold compositions. Often picturised on vamps and bad girls! But this was the moment when she began writing her own destiny. She didn’t reject those songs, she transformed them and made them her identity.


Songs like Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja, Dum Maro Dum, and Yeh Mera Dil weren’t just chartbusters – they were cultural shifts. Asha brought a raw, uninhibited energy that the industry had never experienced before. She was never afraid to sound different, to experiment, to take risks. Asha infused a playful sensuality and attitude in these songs that made them timeless. Her voice didn’t just follow the music, it owned it. She deliberately did not limit herself to a “good girl” image – because for her music had no moral boundaries, only emotional ones. And that’s what made her a rebel.


Sound of Freedom

Her collaboration with R. D. Burman was electric. Together they created magic that still defines an era. Whether it was the intoxicating rhythm of Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyaar Tera or the hypnotic energy of O Haseena Zulfonwali, Asha owned the songs like a pro and captivated the listeners.  


To box her into just “bold songs” would be a mistake. By singing Dil Cheez Kya Hai and In Aankho Ki Masti Ke in Umrao Jaan, she silenced every critic who doubted her depth. The same voice that once defined cabaret now delivered ghazals with haunting grace and classical finesse. Her brilliance and versatility didn’t go unnoticed.


Asha has won multiple National Film Award for songs that highlighted her vigor and range! She has been conferred with the Padma Vibhushan and the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in cinema, celebrating her lifetime contribution to music. Yet awards only capture a fraction of her story!


What’s truly fascinating about Asha is her valiant evolution. With every decade trends changed, she adapted – singing pop albums, collaborating internationally, and exploring genres that many of her contemporaries hesitated to touch. She never allowed age, expectations, or labels to limit her. In a world where stars slip into oblivion with time, Asha remained relevant – because she refused to stand still.


More than Music

There is something deeply inspiring about her life. Her journey has not just been about success but also about resilience. She found her voice and her ground, when the music industry tried its best to cage her. She has silently turned every ‘no’ into a new possibility. She has often expressed that she sang for joy and not for validation.


She represents every person who has ever been underestimated, every voice that was told to stay within limits. She reminds us that sometimes, the roles we’re given are not restrictions – they are opportunities in disguise. And in every note she sang, there was a quiet rebellion…one that continues to charm generations.


At 92, time may have claimed her but it could never silence her. Somewhere between the rhythm and the silence, her voice still lingers – softly echoing, “Janam Samjha Karo”! 

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