Mumbai: Hanuman Ansh, the devotional film built on the life of Neem Karoli Baba, will stream on Sony LIV from November 27. Sony Pictures Networks India has taken the digital and linear rights. A television premiere on Sony MAX will follow, with no date announced yet.
The film opened in cinemas on August 7 and stayed for 91 days. Made on a reported budget of about Rs 2 crore, it collected more than Rs 342 crore net in India. Trade estimates put the worldwide gross at about Rs 453 crore.
Director Vishal Chaturvedi announced the date on November 6 in a joint post with Sony LIV. The caption read: "A divine force. An extraordinary story. A film loved by the nation, now coming home."
The story follows Lakshminarayan, a boy who leaves home after his mother's death to look for God, and whose journey across north India turns him into the saint known as Maharajji. Shobhinaw Satyaa plays the lead, with Chandan Anand, Purnima Tiwari and Vihaan Shedge in the cast.
Ajay Bhalwankar, chief content officer at Sony Pictures Networks India, called the film an example of storytelling that goes past expectations and wins people over.
The success has a second, messier side. Disagreements among the producers and the director have been public for weeks. A co-producer, Anupriya Nagar, is 21, and the attention coming her way is said to have upset the other rights holders. The second part of the film has not been announced.
Swambhu Media Network issued a statement to settle who speaks for the film. All rights, it said, are dealt with only through the agreements executed among the producers. Namrata G Singh and Dr Vishal Chaturvedi are solely authorised to direct public relations, marketing, awards and partnerships. "No individual holds that authority," the statement said.
On Sony LIV, the film will be available in Hindi and Telugu from day one.