Sony announces Neem Karoli Baba series after Hanuman Ansh earns ₹410 crore

Sony has announced a new series on the life of spiritual guru Neem Karoli Baba. The news follows the big box office run of Hanuman Ansh, the devotional film based on the same saint. The show will air on Sony TV and will also stream on SonyLIV, and the makers shared its first promo on September 30.

The teaser opens on an old man by a river, wrapped in the blanket long linked with the guru. A voiceover says that more miraculous stories from his life are coming, for a country that was already moved by the earlier ones. As the man raises his hands to the sky, an image of Lord Hanuman appears. The series is reportedly titled Neem Karori Baba. The cast and premiere date have not been revealed yet.

Hanuman Ansh came to theatres on August 7 and had a very slow start. Reports say it opened with only about ₹10 lakh on day one, and that its screens fell from 300 to just 30. Word of mouth then turned things around, and the film has now collected ₹410.75 crore worldwide while still playing in cinemas.

The total looks even bigger against a reported budget of under ₹2 crore. According to reports, it is the 28th Hindi film to cross ₹400 crore, and the third this year after Dhurandhar 2 and Border 2. Shobhinaw Satyaa reportedly plays Neem Karoli Baba, with Purnima Tiwari as Ram Beti and Chandan K Anand in a key role. Vishal Chaturvedi directed the film, and Hombale Films reportedly took it to overseas markets.

Producer Anupriya Nagar has reportedly spoken about those hard early weeks. She said the money was not what hurt, it was that people were not watching a film made so they could know Maharaj Ji. The team has also talked about a trilogy, though no sequel has been officially confirmed. An OTT release for Hanuman Ansh has not been announced yet.