Indian movie Hanuman Ansh has crossed the ₹350-crore mark worldwide on Day 46, as reported by Sacnilk. The film’s reported worldwide gross is ₹359.70 crore, with its India net collection at around ₹276.03 crore.

This Vishal Chaturvedi-directed spiritual drama is an unlikely box-office milestone for a film produced with a modest budget of ₹2 crore and centred on the life of Neem Karoli Baba. While the film’s box-office success is impressive, its story is what makes it even more interesting.

Across Indian cinema, filmmakers are taking mythology and folklore to make powerful franchises, cinematic universes and large-scale spectacles.

And while Bollywood is now moving aggressively into the making of spiritual and mythology-themed stories with movies like Brahmastra and Adipurush, the current folklore wave did not begin in Hindi cinema.

Regional Films That Inspired Bollywood To Adopt Mythological Movies

One of the biggest examples of regional cinema ruling the box office collection is Hanu-Man. The Telugu-language superhero film, directed by Prasanth Varma and led by Teja Sajja, drew inspiration from the Indian mythological figure Hanuman.

Starting with just ₹10 lakh on day one, the movie became a pan-India success by collecting ₹295.29 crore worldwide against a ₹40 crore budget, as per Sacnilk. Prasanth Varma is now expanding his cinematic universe, with Jai Hanuman being the sequel to the story.

Rishab Shetty’s Kannada blockbuster, Kantara, is also deeply rooted in the traditions and customs of Karnataka, particularly Bhoota Kola. Rather than using rituals just for production, the makers turned to them to connect with the audience. Sacnilk reports stated the film's total earnings went up to ₹407.82 crore worldwide.

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Karthikeya 2, another Telugu success, took inspiration from Lord Krishna and used the mechanics to make an adventure thriller. This was also a hit at the box office with a total collection of ₹117.87 crore according to Sacnilk.

Mahavatar Narsimha also has demonstrated that even animated mythology can become a large-scale theatrical proposition. Presented by Hombale Films, the film is part of a planned cinematic universe around the avatars of Vishnu. The total box office collection, according to Sacnilk reports, was ₹326.82 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹40 cr approx.

The common thread was not simply mythology. It was specificity. These films did not exaggerate or glorify the culture to make it generic.

Kantara (LS) and Mahavatar Narsimha (RS) (Image Credit: Instagram @southcinemaz)

What Bollywood Got Wrong

Observing the success of such movies has led to a series of mythology-driven Hindi films in the past.

Adipurush, starring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon, despite its scale and star power, faced a brutal box office failure. The visual treatment and the dialogues of the film faced heavy criticism, showing why this genre is difficult.

Adipurush finished its theatrical run with a worldwide gross collection of approximately ₹393 crore against a reported budget of ₹500–700 crore as per Sacnilk.

Brahmastra was a different experimental film. Ayan Mukerji tried to build a mythological movie around astras, ancient Indian concepts, and contemporary characters.

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Although the film was a super-hit at the box office, achieving ₹431 crore worldwide (Sacnilk), the storytelling choices were debated among the audience.

Adipurush (LS) and Brahmashtra (RS) (Image Credit: Instagram @bollywood_movieess)

Why Folklore Works When It Feels Lived-In

Indian audiences may not share the same language and have diverse cultural backgrounds, but many are familiar with vocabulary surrounding gods, legends, rituals, and epic stories.

That gives filmmakers the edge to create something that everyone has knowledge about. The only challenge is to turn that familiarity into compelling cinema without making it seem like computer-generated imagery or commercialised.

Kantara used its local traditions as part of the dramatic conflict. Hanu-Man built its superhero premise around devotion and mythology. Karthikeya 2 used its spiritual premise to drive an adventure.

Now Hindi Cinema Wants In

The next wave suggests that Bollywood has taken notice. There is a line of upcoming movies set to be released later this year that is set to bring Indian folklore to the big screen.

Vvaan: Force of the Forest, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia, moves into folklore and supernatural thriller territory, with an Indian forest, local legends and ancient forces at the heart of its story.

Then there is Mahavatar, the Vicky Kaushal-led project from director Amar Kaushik and producer Dinesh Vijan, which is centred on the mythological figure Parashurama.

Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, and Sai Pallavi starrer Ramayana: Part 1 is also set to hit the theatres on November 6, 2026. The movie is based on the ancient Sanskrit epic by Valmiki.

Yash, who will be playing the character of Ravana in the movie, has clarified that it is a ₹4000 crore budget for two instalments of the movie.

The question now is whether Bollywood can adapt to that lesson - without sanding away the very cultural specificity that made the wave possible in the first place.

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FAQ

Q1. What is Hanuman Ansh about?

A1. Hanuman Ansh is a spiritual drama inspired by the life and teachings of Neem Karoli Baba, with its story rooted in devotion and Indian spiritual traditions.

Q2. Which upcoming films are exploring Indian mythology and folklore?

Upcoming projects include Jai Hanuman, Mahavatar Parashuram, Vvaan: Force of the Forest. Jai Hanuman is targeting a 2027 release, while Vvaan is slated for September 25, 2026.