Teja Sajja's 'HanuMan' crosses 1cr footfalls amid commercial triumph
What's the story
The Telugu superhero flick HanuMan—starring Teja Sejja—arrived in the theaters all guns blazing for Sankranti on January 12, colliding with Guntur Kaaram, Merry Christmas, and Captain Miller, among others.
The film has maintained an excellent grip critically and commercially and has been attracting family audiences due to its intriguing storyline and religious overtones.
Now, in another spectacular feat, the film has reached a humungous one crore footfalls.
Context
Why does this story matter?
HanuMan, directed by Prasanth Varma, is part of his ambitious mythological superhero universe, called the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe.
Originally shot in Telugu, it was also released in Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil, among other languages, and is being adored by audiences all over.
The movie's success can also be credited to its skilled ensemble cast, including Amrita Aiyer, Samuthirakani, Vinay Rai, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Satya, and Getup Srinu.
Twitter Post
Varma shared triumphant news on social media
The whole of the world is celebrating #HanuMan with all their heart ❤️ pic.twitter.com/oS4lptSvVT
— Prasanth Varma (@PrasanthVarma) January 28, 2024
Box office
Collections: 'HanuMan' has crossed Rs. 160cr mark
Despite the arrival of Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, and Anil Kapoor's Fighter (January 25 release), HanuMan has remained rock-solid at the box office.
Per Sacnilk, it made Rs. 6.5cr on Saturday, benefitting immensely from the extended holiday weekend, bringing its domestic total to Rs. 165cr.
The Telugu shows had an occupancy of 49.76%, with the maximum audience turning out during the night shows (64.81%).
HanuMan will stream on ZEE5 post its theatrical run.
Sajja's response
Sajja recently thanked audience for their love
HanuMan's triumph is particularly noteworthy considering its relatively fresh lead actor, Sajja.
During the film's success meet on Saturday, Sajja said, "Our producer, Niranjan Reddy garu, believed in us completely, and I am very happy for him."
"I thank [Varma garu] for dreaming of something so big. I bow down to the audience for making HanuMan a big hit. We will work hard for our next projects as well to entertain one and all," he added.
Varma's reaction
Varma's other works and reaction to film's performance
Director Varma first made waves with Awe! in 2018 and received subsequent praise for Kalki (2019) and Zombie Reddy (2021).
His upcoming project is Jai HanuMan, a direct sequel to HanuMan.
At the success meet in Hyderabad, he said, "Teja is the right fit for HanuMan, and the audience is saying the same thing. Making Teja a hero gave me satisfaction, but I am even more happy as I made him a star with HanuMan (sic)."