₹200 crore hit Hanuman Ansh misses Oscar race after team misses submission deadline

Hanuman Ansh misses Oscar submission deadline as small team focuses on film’s expansion

The film, which has crossed the ₹200 crore mark domestically, is now expanding into other languages, beginning with Telugu.

The strong box-office run of Hanuman Ansh has been accompanied by an unexpected setback. The film will not be considered as India’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars after its makers missed the deadline.

Producer Namrata Singh said the team was unaware that September 7 was the final day for submissions and realised the deadline had passed only after receiving calls from people asking why the film had not been submitted.

Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Singh said, “We missed the Oscar submission deadline [for consideration as India's official entry for Best International Feature Film] yesterday (September 7), as it was the last day. We got calls from a thousand people ki aap ne film submit nahin ki. But we didn't know about it. We are busy with too many things. Also, we are a really small team.”

The development comes at a time when the film's makers are juggling several priorities, including taking the movie to audiences beyond its original-language market. The team has completed the Telugu dubbing and plans to work on versions in other languages.

Singh said the makers are also working on accessibility initiatives, while the film's director and actors are travelling to promote it.

She said, “First, we have done dubbing for Telugu and then work on the rest of the languages. We are also working on accessibility so that people of different abilities can see the film. The artists and director are on tour. There's hardly anyone in the office.”

The Telugu-dubbed version of Hanuman Ansh is scheduled to release in theatres on September 18. Filmmaker Trivikram Srinivas is associated with the Telugu version, which was announced on September 11.

The film, written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, originally released on August 7. Shobhinaw Satyaa plays Neem Karoli Baba, with Chandan K Anand, Nikhil Dubey, Anil Rastogi, Sugandha Malhotra and Bhagvandas Patel also featuring in the cast.

The story follows Lakshmi Narayan, a young boy in pre-Independence India who leaves home after his mother's death in search of God. His journey through northern India eventually leads him towards becoming Neem Karoli Baba.

Hanuman Ansh has crossed ₹200 crore at the domestic box office, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. While its commercial performance has given the film significant momentum, the missed Oscar submission means that its international awards ambitions will have to take a different route.