Hanu Man

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Hanu-Man (also marketed as HanuMan) is a 2024 Telugu-language superhero film written and directed by Prasanth Varma and produced by K. Niranjan Reddy under Primeshow Entertainment. Teja Sajja plays the title role of a small-time thief in a fictional village who gains the powers of the god Hanuman. Made on a modest budget and released during Sankranti, it was well reviewed, broke several box-office records and won three National Film Awards. It is the first instalment of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe.

Premise

The film is set in Anjanadri, a fictional village living under the thumb of a local tyrant. Hanumanthu is a petty thief there, quietly in love with Meenakshi, a doctor who speaks out against the village’s ruler. After a violent attack leaves him badly hurt and thrown into the sea, he comes into contact with a mysterious gem, and discovers that he now has extraordinary strength.

His new powers draw the attention of Michael, an outsider obsessed with superheroes who wants that power for himself. The contest between the two, and what the gem really is, drive the rest of the film; this summary leaves the details for viewers.

Cast

• Teja Sajja as Hanumanthu, the title character
• Amritha Aiyer
• Varalaxmi Sarathkumar
• Samuthirakani and Vinay Rai
• Vennela Kishore and Raj Deepak Shetty

Development

Niranjan Reddy, an American NRI film distributor, approached Varma to make a film for his banner after seeing Zombie Reddy (2021). Varma announced his fourth film on 29 May 2021, his birthday, and presented it as the first superhero film in Telugu cinema. He has said the film was inspired by Hanuman, the figure many people think of first when they imagine a superhero in Hindu tradition. The story was Varma’s own and was developed by Scriptsville, a writing team he co-founded with his sister, Sneha Sameera.

The film began on what the source calls a shoestring budget of ₹20 crore. At the teaser launch in Hyderabad in November 2022, Varma revealed that the budget had grown to six times the original estimate.

Production

Principal photography started in Hyderabad on 25 June 2021 and wrapped by mid-April 2023. Dasaradhi Sivendra was the cinematographer, Sai Babu Talari the editor and Venkat Kumar Jetty the visual effects supervisor. GowraHari and Anudeep Dev composed the music.

Release and box office

Hanu-Man opened on 12 January 2024, during the Sankranti festival. According to the source, it grossed between ₹298 crore and ₹350 crore worldwide. That made it:

• The fourth-highest-grossing Telugu film of 2024
• The tenth-highest-grossing Indian film of 2024
• One of the highest-grossing Indian superhero films
• The eleventh-highest-grossing Telugu film of all time

Reception and awards

Critics praised Varma’s direction and screenplay, the performances, the portrayal of Hanuman, the background score, the visual effects, the production design and the action sequences. At the 71st National Film Awards it won 3 awards: Best Film in AVGC, Best VFX Supervisor and Best Stunt Choreography.

Sequel

A sequel, Jai Hanuman, is in development as the next chapter of Varma’s planned film universe.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.