Who Is Anupriya Nagar? Meet the 21-Year-Old Producer Behind Hanuman Ansh

At 21, Anupriya Nagar has already taken a remarkably unconventional route into feature-film production.

An economist by training, an artist by background and now a film producer, Nagar is among the youngest producers associated with Hanuman Ansh, the devotional drama inspired by the life and spiritual journey of Neem Karoli Baba.

Directed by Dr Vishal Chaturvedi, Hanuman Ansh released across India on August 7, 2026. Made on a reported budget of around ₹2 crore, the film initially had a difficult theatrical run before gaining momentum through word of mouth.

But the film’s box-office journey is only one part of Nagar’s story.

Her own account of the project describes a journey that began with an economics assignment in Britain, moved through her longstanding interest in art and service, and eventually led her to put her own resources behind a film rooted in Indian spirituality.

Who Is Anupriya Nagar?

Anupriya Nagar studied economics at the University of Bath in the UK. She describes herself professionally as an economist, artist and film producer.

Her association with art began long before cinema. According to her profile, she participated in her first group exhibition at the age of 12 and continued developing her involvement with art through her university years.

At Bath, she was involved in student organisations and leadership initiatives, including the Women in Business Society. She also pursued research related to innovative ecosystem banking.

That combination of economics, art and social engagement eventually became part of the foundation for her move into filmmaking.

How an Economics Assignment Led Her to Neem Karoli Baba

Nagar’s connection with Hanuman Ansh began unexpectedly.

While studying economics at the University of Bath, she was working on an assignment related to investment and trading. Her research took her towards the lives of technology entrepreneurs and the ideas behind their success.

During that process, she encountered accounts of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ interest in Neem Karoli Baba and his visit to Kainchi Dham.

The discovery prompted a question: why was she learning about an Indian spiritual figure through the story of a globally recognised technology entrepreneur?

That question led Nagar to investigate Neem Karoli Baba’s life more closely.

What began as academic research gradually became a personal interest, and eventually a film project.

From Switzerland Plans to Indian Cinema

Filmmaking was not originally part of Nagar’s career plan.

After completing her economics studies, she had envisioned pursuing a professional future in Switzerland. Her interest in Neem Karoli Baba, however, coincided with a meeting that changed the direction of her life.

She encountered a family connection who was already involved with Hanuman Ansh. The film had reportedly completed its shoot but required further funding for post-production.

Nagar read the screenplay and became sufficiently moved by the story to ask how she could contribute.

She subsequently invested savings she had accumulated through part-time work in the UK.

For Nagar, the contribution was not primarily about financial returns. She has described it as seva—an act of service driven by her desire to introduce more people to Neem Karoli Baba’s story.

Hanuman Ansh: A Story of Faith and Seva

Hanuman Ansh presents the spiritual journey of Neem Karoli Baba, focusing on his formative years and his search for the Divine.

Shobhinaw Satyaa plays the central role, while Purnima Tiwari portrays Rambeti Sharma. Vishal Chaturvedi serves as director and is also among the film’s producers, alongside Nagar, Namrata G. Singh and Ragini Sona.

The project was not built around a conventional star-driven model.

Instead, its appeal rests largely on its spiritual subject, performances and devotional atmosphere.

The filmmakers have spoken about the role of faith during the production, including the recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa during the shooting schedule.

For Nagar, the film represents an attempt to make India’s spiritual heritage accessible to a younger and increasingly global audience.

Why Nagar Wants Young People to Know Neem Karoli Baba

One of Nagar’s central motivations has been to take Neem Karoli Baba’s story beyond the celebrity associations surrounding Kainchi Dham.

Neem Karoli Baba has attracted international attention through accounts of his influence on spiritual seekers and personalities from around the world. Nagar believes that younger audiences should encounter the saint through his own life, philosophy and spiritual journey.

Her pitch for the film is therefore not simply about recreating historical events.

It is about making an older spiritual story emotionally accessible to a contemporary generation.

She has described Hanuman Ansh as a film intended not merely to teach spirituality, but to make audiences experience its emotional dimension.

A Decade of Art Before Film

Cinema may be Nagar’s newest professional chapter, but creativity was already part of her life.

Her profile traces her artistic journey back more than a decade, beginning with her first group exhibition at 12.

She later remained connected with art during her university years, including through student societies.

That background is significant because Nagar’s approach to filmmaking appears to be shaped by more than business considerations. Her work combines an interest in economics with a longstanding engagement with visual art and cultural storytelling.

For someone trained to analyse markets and investments, producing a spiritual film represents a distinctly different kind of risk.

Service Came Before the Film

Nagar’s involvement in social service also predates Hanuman Ansh.

During her time at the University of Bath, she served as Chair of Raise and Give Bath, a student fundraising initiative. Her profile says the organisation raised £10,000 for charity during her involvement and that she was named Volunteer of the Month.

She has also highlighted work teaching spoken English to underprivileged children, volunteering with the British Heart Foundation in London and fundraising for cancer patients at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai.

In 2022, she represented India through Bollywood dance at Just Bollywood in London. Her team received a head-to-head award and raised funds for organisations including Snehalaya and Nanhi Kali.

These experiences help explain why Nagar describes Hanuman Ansh in terms of seva rather than simply production.

From Westminster to the World

Nagar’s profile also reflects an international outlook.

She says she has travelled to more than 20 countries and participated in international initiatives including Model United Nations programmes associated with organisations such as INTERPOL and DISEC.

She has also been associated with public-speaking and cultural engagements in Britain and elsewhere.

Her profile lists an invitation to speak at the House of Lords in London, where she discussed her journey and the spiritual story behind Hanuman Ansh.

The broader ambition is clear: to take a story rooted in India’s spiritual tradition to audiences beyond India.

The Film’s Unexpected Box-Office Journey

The commercial trajectory of Hanuman Ansh has added another dimension to Nagar’s emergence as a producer.

The film opened in theatres on August 7 and reportedly began slowly. Earlier figures cited for the film put its first-day collection at around ₹10 lakh, with approximately ₹1.08 crore earned during its first week.

Its theatrical presence subsequently weakened before word of mouth began to change its fortunes.

According to Sacnilk figures cited in reports, the film had reached around ₹72 crore in India gross collections at an earlier stage of its run.

The film’s reported budget of around ₹2 crore makes the performance notable, although gross box-office revenue should not be confused with producer profit.

The filmmakers have attributed the turnaround primarily to audiences recommending the film to others.

Why Hanuman Ansh Matters to Nagar

For Nagar, the success of Hanuman Ansh appears to validate something larger than a commercial strategy.

She believes Indian cinema has considerable room for stories rooted in spirituality, mythology, saints and India’s cultural traditions.

Her ambition is particularly focused on younger audiences.

She has previously spoken about wanting children to engage with stories such as that of Neem Karoli Baba, and has even considered creating a comic book based on the saint’s life.

That interest reflects a broader objective: finding contemporary ways to preserve and communicate cultural stories without making them inaccessible to younger generations.

Blessings and Support for the Film

Nagar’s public profile also features messages and appearances involving people associated with the film’s spiritual and cultural journey.

These include references to Manoj Tiwari, artist and collector Fayez Barakat, Premanand Ji Maharaj, Pujya Shri Abhay Das Maharaj Ji and others.

Her profile presents these interactions as encouragement and blessings for Hanuman Ansh.

Such endorsements are best understood as expressions of individual support rather than independent assessments of the film’s commercial or artistic success.

What Comes Next for Anupriya Nagar?

The success of Hanuman Ansh appears to have changed Nagar’s immediate plans.

Instead of returning to the career path she had envisioned abroad, she has indicated that she intends to remain in India for now.

Among her stated ambitions is establishing a foundation focused on children, particularly education and healthcare.

She has also expressed an interest in writing a book about her journey—from studying economics in Britain to entering film production at 21.

There is also the possibility of returning to the world of Hanuman Ansh. The film’s ending leaves room for another chapter, although any sequel remains subject to the filmmakers’ plans.

More Than a First Film

Anupriya Nagar’s story is unusual because Hanuman Ansh was never simply a conventional career move.

The journey began with an economics assignment.

It led to questions about an Indian saint whose influence had reached far beyond India’s borders.

It moved through art, service, travel and personal faith before arriving in cinema.

Whether Hanuman Ansh ultimately becomes the beginning of a long film career remains to be seen. But at 21, Nagar has already established an unusual professional identity: economist, artist, social-service advocate and feature-film producer.

And her stated ambition extends beyond making one successful film.

She wants to tell stories that connect India’s spiritual heritage with a younger, global generation.

For Nagar, Hanuman Ansh is therefore not merely the first film she produced.

It is the first expression of what she hopes will become a much larger purpose.