Hanu-Man (also marketed as HanuMan) is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language superhero film written and directed by Prasanth Varma and produced by K. Niranjan Reddy under Primeshow Entertainment. It stars Teja Sajja in the title role, alongside Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Samuthirakani, Vinay Rai, Vennela Kishore and Raj Deepak Shetty. Set in the fictional village of Anjanadri, Hanu-Man is the first installment of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe. The narrative follows Hanumanthu, who gains the powers of Hanuman to protect the people of Anjanadri, ultimately facing off against Michael after encountering a mysterious gem.
Officially announced in May 2021, principal photography began on 25 June 2021 in Hyderabad and concluded by mid-April 2023. The film features music composed by GowraHari and Anudeep Dev, digital marketing by Manoj Valluri under Haashtag Media, cinematography by Dasaradhi Sivendra, visual effects supervision by Venkat Kumar Jetty, and editing by Sai Babu Talari.
Released on 12 January 2024, during Sankranti, Hanu-Man received positive reviews for Prasanth Varma's direction, screenplay, the cast's performances, the portrayal of Lord Hanuman, background score, visual effects, production design, and action sequences. The film broke several box-office records, grossing 298–350 crore worldwide, making it the fourth highest-grossing Telugu film of 2024, tenth highest-grossing Indian film of the 2024, one of the highest grossing Indian superhero films and the eleventh highest-grossing Telugu film of all time. A sequel, Jai Hanuman, is currently in development. At the 71st National Film Awards, the film won 3 awards: Best Film in AVGC, Best VFX Supervisor, and Best Stunt Choreography.
Plot In 1998 Saurashtra, young Michael is obsessed with superheroes. After a failed attempt to fly, his parents explain that superheroes are fictional, prompting Michael to murder them in a fire. Years later, he operates in Mumbai as "Mega Man", a gadget-based vigilante aided by his friend Siri, while secretly seeking genuine superpowers.
A divine gemstone, formed from a drop of blood shed by Hanuman, lies near Anjanadri, an oppressive village ruled by the tyrant Polygar Gajapathi. Hanumanthu, a petty thief, has unrequited feelings for Meenakshi, a doctor who frequently opposes Gajapathi. Gajapathi stages a bandit attack to eliminate her, but Hanumanthu intervenes and is severely wounded before being thrown into the ocean. There, he unknowingly comes into contact with the gemstone. His sister Anjamma and friend Kasi find him healed, and he discovers that sunlight activates the gem, granting him superhuman strength.
Hanumanthu uses his powers to defeat Gajapathi in a public wrestling match. Offered the title of Polygar, he abolishes the position and advocates democratic governance, earning Meenakshi's affection.
Michael and Siri arrive in Anjanadri under the guise of corporate social responsibility, secretly investigating the source of Hanumanthu's powers. On Michael's orders, Siri abducts Hanumanthu to learn the secret of his strength, but Hanumanthu escapes with the gem. He later rescues Meenakshi from Gajapathi's henchmen and reveals himself as her frequent saviour, leading them to confess their love.
While investigating Michael's activities, Hanumanthu learns that he plans to release a neurotoxic gas to incapacitate the villagers and obtain the gem. When Siri objects, Michael traps him in a fire, leaving him presumed dead. An elderly sage disguised as Hanumanthu secretly defeats Michael's mercenaries and rescues Siri. During Anjamma's wedding, Michael confronts Hanumanthu and falsely claims ownership of the gem. Hanumanthu exposes his lie, but the ensuing clash results in Anjamma's death. Believing the gem failed to save her because the sun had set, Hanumanthu abandons it.
Michael then releases the gas, immobilising the villagers. As Hanumanthu loses hope, the sage reveals himself as Vibhishana, the immortal king of Lanka. He explains that Lord Hanuman has always aided those who uphold Dharma and urges Hanumanthu to fulfil his destiny. With help from a reformed Gajapathi and Siri, whom Hanumanthu had rescued from the fire, Hanumanthu locates the gem with the aid of a monkey named Koti. He destroys Michael's gas-releasing drone fleet while Meenakshi stabilises the villagers.
Michael captures Hanumanthu, steals the gem and attempts to escape by helicopter. Hanumanthu breaks free and destroys the aircraft, killing Michael in the resulting explosion. The gem shatters and its divine energy fuses with Hanumanthu. Its destruction also breaks an ancient seal, awakening imprisoned Asuras across the realm. Lord Hanuman emerges from his Tapasu in the Himalayas to join Hanumanthu for the impending war.
Cast
Production
Development The producer Niranjan Reddy approached director Prasanth Varma to direct a film for his banner after watching Zombie Reddy (2021). After successfully directing Zombie Reddy, Varma announced his fourth film on 29 May 2021, coinciding with his birthday. It was announced that the film will be the first superhero film in Telugu cinema. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle he said, "the film is inspired by the Hindu God Hanuman", adding "As for the title of the film, Prasanth says he chose it because it was a dedication to many who, when they think of any superpower or a superhero in Hinduism, we remember Hanuman. In the film, the name of the protagonist is Hanu-Man", regarding the title of the film.
The film was funded by the American NRI film distributor, K. Niranjan Reddy, under Primeshow Entertainment. It was made on a shoe-string budget of 20 crores. During the teaser launch event held in Hyderabad in November 2022, Varma revealed that the production budget increased six times from the initial valuation. Hanu-Man is the first installment of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU).
Pre-production The story of Hanu-Man came from Varma and was then developed by his team at Scriptsville, a writing team he co-founded with his sister, Sneha Sameera. In an interview, Varma said that his education in a gurukul helped him with the film's research. Varma also sought S. S. Rajamouli's advice while making the film.
Anudeep Dev, GowraHari, and Krishna Saurabh were hired to compose the music for the film. GowraHari composed the background score for the film. Sai Babu Tallari was hired for the editing, reuniting with Varma after Zombie Reddy. The other technicians includes cinematographer Dasaradhi Sivendra, production designer Nagendra Tangala, action choreographers Nandu and Prudhvi, costume designer Lanka Santhoshi.
Prior to starting the first shooting schedule, the team had constructed a studio in a leased land at Vattinagulapally located in Telangana, for filming green screen shots. Prior to the start of film production, Teja Sajja had attended a special workshop, in order to train physically and intensively for his role in the film.
Casting Teja Sajja played the titular character Hanumanthu, a superhero, and sported long hair and bearded look. His look was finalised after trying out 25 different looks. This marked Tejja's third collaboration with Varma after their Zombie Reddy and Adbhutham (2021). About casting Teja Sajja as lead actor, Varma said "when I was casting for this film, I wanted to cast an actor who could give his 100 per cent and be fully committed to this film. He had to maintain a particular look and also suit the part. So, I think Teja fits the bill. He is the most lovable underdog and an amazing actor who can give me enough time to make this film". He had to learn scuba diving for the film. Amritha Aiyer was cast as the film's lead actress, and her character name Meenakshi was revealed in December 2021. Varma said he selected Amritha Aiyer after watching "Neeli Neeli Aakasam" song. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar was roped in a pivotal role, and her inclusion was confirmed on 4 March 2022, on the eve of her birthday. Tamil actor Vinay Rai was announced as the film's antagonist in June 2022. Varma revealed that Rai's suit was difficult to wear and lost two kilograms while shooting.
The film also features Vennela Kishore, Satya, Getup Srinu, Raj Deepak Shetty, Koushik Mahata and Bhanu Prakash in pivotal roles. Rishab Shetty was approached to play the role of Vibhishana, but declined the role, citing commitments to Kantara, thus went to Samuthirakani. Ravi Teja gave his voice to the monkey character Koti. The name of the fictional village was announced as Anjanadri.
Design Nagendra Tangala served as the production designer for Hanu-Man. The team leased an agricultural land in Vattinagulapally near Hyderabad and designed the sets of Anjanadri there, which took about 150 to 200 days. "When director Prashanth told this story, we definitely wanted to create a new world for Anjanadri. We thought that it should be designed naturally to be close to fantasy and reality. Surrounded by green environment, high hills, and the river on the other side, we were fixed to build it like a beautiful village among Panchabhutas", Nagendra on constructing Anjanadri village. The bank fight sequence was also set there. "Challenge for me was to design the Rudramani which is formed from Hanuman's blood drop. We made more than a hundred manis in various shapes to make it natural and believable to everyone. In the end, Hanuman's blood drop was placed as Rama's name and surrounded by a powerful protective shield. It worked out well. In fact, when this mani was made, the film was 50 percent shot," Nagendra on creating Rudramani.
The team had constructed a set of double-bedroom flats built by the government near Kollur, for filming the bank robbery scene. The team rebuilt the entire Maharshi set on the floor in one day at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad for filming the film's climax scenes. Nagendra revealed that the team designed the big Hanuman statue in Anjanadri through graphics, inspired by the seven hills of Tirumala.
Filming
The film was officially launched on 25 June 2021 in Hyderabad, with a pooja ceremony and muhurtam shot done. Principal photography of the film was also done on the same day. As of August 2021, 40% of filming was completed. Filming of a few action sequences and songs took place at Maredumilli and Paderu in Andhra Pradesh in September 2021. Around 60% of filming was completed by December 2021.
The team constructed a temporary studio called Hanuman Studio at Vattinagulapally, where most of the green screen shots portions were filmed. For wide angle visuals, the team moved to Paderu and Maredumilli in Andhra Pradesh. The underwater sequence was filmed in December 2022 in Mumbai. Teja Sajja got trained under a special trainer for fifteen days in Hyderabad for this sequence.
The climax sequences were shot over 40 days, and team built the set at Ramoji Film City. The aerial climax scene was filmed for five days. Principal photography wrapped by 17 April 2023, with filming having lasted 130 working days.
Post-production The dubbing process began during April 2022, with Teja Sajja dubbing his portions. HaloHues Studios, Hyderabad was the film's principal visual effects studio. Extensive work on the visual effects took place for more than a year during the post-production process. VFX of the film was done by Venkat Kumar Jetty The picturization of "Anjandri Theme Song" was storyboarded in 2D, but inspired by the visual effects of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, team decided to give it a 3D feel and roped in Animation studios Flicksville, Visikefi as well as freelance technicians across the country worked for the film. Anjanadri establishment shot, a technically challenging scene lasting over two minutes. To achieve this, extensive research and the utilisation of Hollywood software, coupled with an intelligent pipeline, were employed.