HanuMan has been the massive cinematic story of 2024 to date. The unheralded Telugu movie has already grossed over Rs 100 crore worldwide in beneath per week of its launch. Made on a shoestring funds, the movie has overwhelmed different big-budget extravaganzas on the field workplace, and received followers’ hearts too. In an unique chat with DNA, the movie’s director Prasanth Varma talks about how he went about creating this world, the learnings he took from different movies’ failures, and the key behind the movie’s VFX.

HanuMan isn’t the primary Indian movie based mostly on the Ramayana within the final one yr. Adipurush and Ram Setu, each famously got here and flopped exhausting, and likewise obtained criticism of their dealing with of Indian mythology and spiritual icons. However Prasanth says Telugu cinema has by no means had that downside. “In Telugu cinema, we had many movies retelling tales from Ramayana and Mahabharata. NTR sir had performed so many such movies. There was by no means this downside. Individuals all the time celebrated these movies. For us, NTR sir was Krishna and plenty of households would have his photos as a substitute of idols. We by no means went mistaken in representing Gods as an business,” says the filmmaker.

Prasanth says he watched different movies to take concepts on each what to do and what to not. “I watch every kind of movies within the style that I’m engaged on in order that I discover ways to make a movie from a few of them and I’ll find out how to not make a movie from others. Every little thing needs to be performed otherwise to realize completely different outcomes,” he tells us.
Prasanth attributes this sensitivity in direction of faith amongst Telugu filmmakers to their upbringing, including, “In all probability it’s the upbringing and the way we develop up with these tales. So, we’re delicate about that and connected to it. I can not communicate for different filmmakers however I might by no means tamper with the histories of our tradition. I actually wished to retell Ramayana and Mahabharata in my approach. However I really feel I’m not matured sufficient as a filmmaker and skilled sufficient to try this. So, I’m creating new fictional tales impressed by these characters.”

HanuMan tells the story of Hanumant, a village boy who acquires the powers of Lord Hanuman. The superhero movie is being praised for its VFX, achieved on a moderately restricted funds. Prasanth reveals how they managed it, “Since we didn’t have the cash to spend, solely factor we had was time. As an alternative, we hung out planning it, discovering expertise, fine-tuning the pictures. We spent extra time on all this than any of the opposite huge movies to get all the things as excellent as attainable.”

HanuMan lays the muse for a model new cinematic universe. The climax of the movie teases a sequel, which can arrive in 2025. Speaking about the way forward for the franchise, Prasanth says, “Many of the superheroes that we see within the western tradition have related powers to what our Gods have, the characters in our itihaasa have. Hanuman ji is among the most cherished and revered figures there. Once we began creating this new universe of superheroes that get their powers from our gods, we felt we must always begin with Hanuman ji, after which go from there.”