Hanu-Man

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 ₹300–350 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 2 awards: Best Film in AVGC and Best Stunt Choreography.

Plot

In 1998 Saurashtra, in Akhanda Bharath a young Michael, obsessed with superheroes, attempts to fly but is stopped by his father. His fascination leads to an accident, and shortly after, he kills his parents in a fire because they try to explain to him that superheroes do not exist in real life. In the present, Michael becomes a "superhero" named Mega Man in Mumbai, using his friend Siri's innovations, but yearns for real power to make him a true superhero.

The film introduces a divine gem born from a drop of blood from Hanuman, which fell into the sea off South India after a young Hanuman was struck by Indra. The gem holds the powers of Hanuman. Near the sea lies Anjanadri, a dystopian village under the tyranny of its polygar, Gajapathi. Hanumanthu, a petty thief from Anjanadri, harbours feelings for Meenakshi, the granddaughter of the local school headmaster. Meenakshi opposes Gajapathi's rule and encourages the villagers to revolt.

Gajapathi, feeling threatened, orchestrates a fake bandit attack on Meenakshi to eliminate her. Hanumanthu, gaining the attention of Meenakshi since childhood under disguise, foils the ambush but is severely injured and thrown into the sea, where he accidentally acquires the divine gem. The next day, he is found unconscious on the shore, alarming his elder sister Anjamma and friend Kasi. However, Hanumanthu's wounds heal instantly, and he gains superhuman strength from the gem when exposed to sunlight, though it loses power without it.

Hanumanthu tries to prove to Meenakshi that he is her saviour, leading to comical situations, and while she remains sceptical, Kasi realizes his newfound powers. When Meenakshi confronts Gajapathi over his injustice, Gajapathi challenges her to a wrestling match. Hanumanthu steps in defeats Gajapathi using the gem, and is declared the new Polygar. However, he proposes abolishing the Polygar system and establishing democracy, which impresses Meenakshi.

Michael and Siri arrive in Anjanadri under the guise of CSR, with Michael secretly seeking to acquire Hanumanthu's powers. Michael engineers a situation to provoke Hanumanthu into revealing his powers during a festival, but Hanumanthu cleverly conceals the gem's power. Later, Hanumanthu, realizing his sister Anjamma's sacrifices for him, becomes more responsible and arranges her wedding.

Sensing a threat to Meenakshi, Hanumanthu is suddenly kidnapped by Siri, who demands the source of his powers while Michael monitors them remotely. Hanumanthu uses the gem to escape and saves Meenakshi, revealing himself as her childhood protector. They confess their feelings and unite. Hanumanthu also warns Gajapathi to avoid Meenakshi, urging him to be a benevolent leader in the upcoming elections.

Hanumanthu infiltrates Michael's camp to uncover his true intentions. Michael, revealing his plan to destroy Anjanadri and seize the gem, almost kills Siri by setting fire to their tent and admitting that he had killed his own parents similarly. The elderly sage, disguised as Hanumanthu, defeats the goons and returns the gem to Hanumanthu.

On Anjamma's wedding day, Michael interrupts, accusing Hanumanthu of stealing his ancestral gem. Hanumanthu gives Michael a fake gem, which injures Michael and exposes his lies. When Michael's men attack, Hanumanthu and Anjamma defend themselves, but Anjamma dies in the fight. Grieving, Hanumanthu discards the real gem, believing it failed him.

Michael then releases toxic smoke into the village, freezing the inhabitants. Meenakshi urges Hanumanthu to save them, but he feels powerless. The elderly sage reappears, revealing himself as King Vibhishana from the Ramayana, and motivates Hanumanthu to defeat Michael. Aided by Siri, whom Hanumanthu saved with Gajapathi's help, they fight against Michael's forces. Hanumanthu ultimately destroys the drones, which spread the smoke by retaining the gem through Koti, a monkey. But Michael ties Hanumanthu, steals the gem from him, and tries to escape with it through a helicopter. Then, with a hard struggle, Hanumanthu frees himself and destroys the helicopter, thus killing Michael. The gem gets destroyed in the battle, and the power of Hanuman gets absorbed by Hanumanthu.

In the aftermath, the destruction of the gem triggers the rise of Asuras (demons) and the awakening of Lord Hanuman himself, who emerges from the Himalayas and appears before Hanumanthu, signalling the beginning of a great battle.

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.