2024 Indian Telugu superhero film by Prasanth Varma
Hanu-Man (also marketed as HanuMan) is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language superhero film written and directed by Prasanth Varma and produced by 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, 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 Hanuman, background score, visual effects, production design, and action sequences. The film broke several box-office records, grossing ₹301–350 crore worldwide, making it the fourth highest-grossing Telugu film of 2024, tenth highest-grossing Indian film of the 2024 and the tenth highest-grossing Telugu film of all time. A sequel, "Jai Hanuman", is currently in development.
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, his parents die in a fire. 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, harbors 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 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 savior, leading to comical situations, and while she remains skeptical, 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 stay away from 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 gem, believing it failed him.
Michael then releases a 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 Vibhishana, and motivates Hanumanthu to defeat Michael. With 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 through retaining the gem through Anji, a monkey. But Michael ties Hanumanthu and thefts 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 and the awakening of Hanuman, who emerges from the Himalayas and appears before Hanumanthu, signaling the beginning of a great battle.
Cast.
 ;templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/ ;* Teja Sajja as Hanumanthu / Hanu-Man
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, Kandagatla 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 Udaikrishna Pandamaneti. The picturization of "Anjandri Theme Song" was storyboarded in 2D, but inspired by the visual effects of "", team decided to give it a 3D feel and roped in Eitri Studio. Animation studios Dhruv, ECS, 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.
Paderu Girula has been linked to the graphics in this film. Udaykrishna said that along with his friend, photographer from Chodavaram, he traveled around Paderu for a