India’s most profitable film of 2026 has Rs2 crore budget, yet beat 'Dhurandhar 2'

2026 may not have been a red-letter year for Indian cinema at the box office, but it has seen some massive individual successes across languages. Be it “Dhurandhar” the “Revenge”, “Jana Nayagan”, or “Awarapan 2”, films have broken through in various genres and across scales and budgets to script success. But none of these is the biggest hit of the year from India. That record belongs to a spiritual film with no star, a small budget, and hardly any promotion. And yet, it has earned more than 20 times its production budget. 

The devotional drama “Hanuman Ansh”, about the life and legacy of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba, is the biggest box-office hit in Indian cinema this year, earning a staggering 2000% profit and already making 21 times its budget on the back of strong word-of-mouth. Written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, “Hanuman Ansh” features an ensemble cast, with Chandan Anand and Shobhinav Satyaa in the lead roles. The film was made on a shoestring budget of Rs2 crore and released in theatres without much fanfare on 7 August. It failed to gain traction initially and was written off as a box-office failure in its first week.

However, “Hanuman Ansh” began to generate enough buzz by the second weekend to force exhibitors to increase their shows. This led to a huge surge in its collections. The film earned just Rs60 lakh in its opening weekend. This figure jumped to a staggering Rs28 crore in its fourth weekend. “Hanuman Ansh” has now earned over Rs42 crore net in India and is heading towards the Rs50-crore mark. Industry insiders say that given its pace, a Rs100-crore lifetime run is not unfathomable. If it achieves that, it will become one of the most profitable Indian films of all time.

“Hanuman Ansh” currently has a 2000% profit with its box office earnings. Industry insiders say this could go up to 5000% by the time the film ends its run. In comparison, “Dhurandhar 2” had a 1000% profit due to its relatively bigger budget of around Rs125 crore. Similarly, “Awarapan 2” has made a profit of around 450% over its Rs30-crore budget with its box-office collections alone. 

The film traces the life of Lakshman Das and how he found spiritualism, transforming into Neem Karoli Baba. It follows the spiritual leader’s journey from age 13 to the point where he came to be loved and revered. The film’s writer-director is a doctor-turned-filmmaker. It is produced by Swambhu Media Network Pvt Ltd, Ragini S, Namrata GS, and Anupriya A Nagar Hanuman Ansh is currently running in theatres.