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 Primeshow Entertainment. It stars Teja Sajja in the title role, alongside Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Samuthirakani, Vinay Rai, Vennela Kishore and Raj Deepak Shetty. The film is set in the fictional village of Anjanadri and is the first installment of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU). Set in a fictional place called Anjanadri, the film follows the story of Hanumanthu, who gets the power of Lord Hanuman to save the people of Anjanadri, and faces off against Michael after coming in contact with a mysterious gem.

The film was officially announced in May 2021. Principal photography commenced on 25 June 2021 in Hyderabad and was wrapped by mid-April 2023. The film has music composed by GowraHari and Anudeep Dev; cinematography by Dasaradhi Sivendra; visual effects supervised by Venkat Kumar Jetty; and editing by Sai Babu Talari.

Hanu-Man was released on 12 January 2024, on the occasion of Sankranti to positive reviews from critics praising Prashanth Varma's direction, screenwriting, cast performances, visualisation of Lord Hanuman, background score, VFX, production design, and action sequences. The film broke several box-office records for a Telugu film. With a worldwide gross of over inr 3500000000, the film ranks as the second highest-grossing Telugu film of 2024, the second highest-grossing South Indian film of 2024, the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2024, and the ninth highest-grossing Telugu film worldwide. A sequel is in development.

Plot
In 1998 Saurashtra, a young Michael's unreasonable fascination with superheroes is strictly opposed by his father when he injures himself in an attempt to fly. His parents soon succumb to a fire accident. In the present, Michael takes the assistance of his friend Siri's innovations to become an applauded "superhero" called Mega Man in the city of Mumbai but pines for the possession of a formidable power that would make him a real superhero.

Lord Indra's assault on a young Hanuman resulted in a blood drop of his to fall in a sea of South India; the blood drop progressed into a divine gem possessing Lord Hanuman's powers. On the banks of the sea lies Anjanadri, a dystopian hamlet suffering from the tyranny of its Polygar named Gajapathi. Hanumanthu, a petty thief and an inhabitant of Anjanadri, has a huge crush on the local school headmaster's granddaughter Meenakshi. The latter opposes Gajapathi's despotism and motivates the villagers to revolt. An intimidated Gajapathi loots the natives and launches a fake bandit attack on Meenakshi with an intent to eliminate her. Hanumanthu, who has been the secret saviour of Meenakshi since their childhood, manages to avert the ambush but is severely wounded and thrown into the sea. Meenakshi, who has been yearning to discover the identity of her saviour, fails to see him. Inside the sea, Hanumanthu inadvertently gets hold the gem.

The next morning, an unconscious Hanumanthu is found lying on the shore and taken home, concerning his elder sister Anjamma and best friend Kashi. Nevertheless, Hanumanthu attains superhuman strength due to the gem when the rays of the Sun hit the latter, curing his wounds instantaneously. He further figures that the gem doesn't work in the absence of the Sun. He tries proving himself to be her saviour to Meenakshi but ends up in hilarious situations, prompting her to disbelieve him though Kashi discerns his newfound superpowers. Meenakshi confronts Gajapathi for being unjust to an aged farmer and compelling him to commit suicide. In response, Gajapathi challenges her to a wrestling match; Hanumanthu comes forward on her behalf and to everyone's surprise, he defeats Gajapathi with his gem and is thus declared as the new Polygar. However, he proposes breaking the custom and initiating democracy in the village, impressing Meenakshi. At this juncture, Michael and Siri arrive at Anjanadri under the pretext of corporate social responsibility.

It is revealed that Michael has discovered Hanumanthu's superpowers through a brief social media clip and desires to acquire them. Amidst a festivity, he fabricates a crane collapse and risks the life of a child to provoke Hanumanthu into using his powers but the latter manages to conceal the gem through a mask. Later, Hanumanthu realizes that Anjamma loves him unconditionally and has remained unmarried for his sake; repentant, he begins to be responsible and arranges for her wedding. While Hanumanthu identifies an imminent attempt on Meenakshi's life, Siri abruptly abducts him and commands him to disclose the origin of his superpowers as Michael watches on from his caravan through the cameras installed. He witnesses Hanumanthu utilizing the gem to attain the powers and break free from their custody. Hanumanthu rescues Meenakshi, revealing himself to be her saviour and also informs her about the gem and they unite, having confessed their feelings for each other. Hanumanthu heals Gajapathi and cautions him to stay away from Meenakshi while asking him to contest in the forthcoming elections and be a generous leader.

To uncover Michael's truth, Hanumanthu breaks into his caravan at midnight while Michael notifies Siri of his intentions to destroy Anjanadri and acquire the gem. When Siri refuses to cooperate, Michael asserts that it is for the greater good but Siri rightly argues that it is due to his obsession with the power. Frustrated, Michael sets the tent on fire and leaves Siri to die of a severe asthma attack and in the process, he reveals that he had killed his parents in a similar way. Departing from the tent, Michael discovers that Hanumanthu has infiltrated his camp and sends his goons after him but an elderly sage defeats them, having supernaturally transformed himself into Hanumanthu.

On Anjamma's wedding day, Michael interrupts the ceremony and claims that Hanumanthu has stolen his ancestral gem, demanding him to return it. Upon being compelled by Anjamma and the villagers, Hanumanthu hands over the gem to Michael but it turns out to be a fake one made of magnifying glass and burns one of Michael's eyes, exposing his lies. As Hanumanthu reveals the gem to the villagers, Michael instructs his men to murder him but Anjamma fights them off with Hanumanthu and is struck with a bullet in the process. Anjamma consequently succumbs to the wound. Frustrated with the gem's inability to rescue his sister, Hanumanthu throws it away before tearfully cremating her. Meanwhile, Michael dispatches drones into the village, releasing a toxic smoke that freezes the inhabitants; having survived his plot, Meenakshi rushes to Hanumanthu and urges him to rescue the villagers but he deems himself incapable of saving them. They are interrupted by the elderly sage, who reveals himself to be the demon king Vibhishana. The latter motivates Hanumanthu to rescue the villagers and the gem from Michael, asserting that Lord Hanuman is always with him.

Hanumanthu takes the assistance of Gajapathi and his men, who have been provided with masks to protect themselves from the smoke by Siri, who is in turn revealed to have been saved by Hanumanthu. They combat Michael and his men despite the difficulties; ultimately, Hanumanthu destroys the drones and ends the smoke after Koti, a monkey, gets him the gem. However, Michael seizes Hanumanthu and tries to escape with the gem in his helicopter. Hanumanthu manages to free himself and explodes the helicopter, killing Michael but the gem gets destroyed and the blood drop permanently inculcates itself into Hanumanthu. Instantaneously, Lord Hanuman emerges from the Himalayas and appears before Hanumanthu while Vibhishana anticipates the surfacing of Asuras and a tremendous battle that would follow. He further declares that the time has come for Lord Hanuman to fulfill the oath he has made to Lord Rama.

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 said that "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 Lord 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 at 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 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 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 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, 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 week. More than three thousand photos and videos were taken and they were used in the film to suit the graphics. Varma had the plan to sign Kannada actor Yash to play Lord Hanuman and include a live-action portrayal. But Udaikrishna convinced him to design a 3D model, assuring Varma that it would not appear cartoonish. It took nearly seven months for the visual effects shots of Lord Hanuman. Udaikrishna said that "photorealistic Hanuman in the all-important climax song is the film's USP". The final edit had around 1600 visual effects shots, which constituted approximately 30% of the film. In an interview, Prasanth Varma discussed the utilisation of pre-visualization, matte painting, 3D, and AI art in the film. ChatGPT and Midjourney were used to design film posters.

The special effects was provided by Raghunath. The color grading for the film bagan on 5 October, which was done by Shiva Kumar BVR. The finishing work for the film was performed at ANR Sound & Vision at Annapurna Studios, by colourist Ashwath. The sound mixing was begun on 23 November 2023. The Dolby Atmos mixing of the film was done by Eskala Radha Krishna.

The final copy of the film was ready by December 2023, and was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) that month. On 29 December 2023, the film received a U/A certificate from the Censor Board, with a finalised runtime of 158 minutes.

Themes and influences
Hanu-Man is blend of sci-fi, fantasy and mythology. The film, featuring Teja Sajja as the titular character, revolves around Hanumanthu, a small-time thief, and his journey to save his village and the world after discovering a totem that enhances his abilities. Varma said he was taught itihas as a subject in school, and was very passionate about those stories, and those characters inspired him to make the film. As he felt he is not mature enough or big enough director to make films on itihas, he started from doing a superhero film, where a normal boy gets powers of Lord Hanuman, from there on down, maybe mature to direct those big stories. In an interview, he said "I always wanted to do a superhero film. In fact, I wanted to become a superhero! Since I couldn't do that I thought, let me make a film. I didn't want it to be a Marvel or DC-like superhero film but something indigenous and culturally rooted. The first thought that came to mind was Hanuman ji and I wrote the story. Then I got multiple ideas for various superheroes based on our itihaas and it took off from there."

The film borrows elements from Indian mythology, mostly from the Ramayana and the depictions of Lord Hanuman and his exploits in the various oral and written traditions of Hinduism. DNA India wrote "despite the vociferous proclamations of Jai Shri Ram and songs borrowing lyrics from popular bhajans, HanuMan is not a religious film. It is a superhero film that uses mythology and religious elements, blending them with science and spirituality quite neatly." Varma said he didn't view this film as a mythological tale and it would have presented him many new challenges. The film is set in a modern-day world blended with a key incident from Hanuman's life. The film idea was born out of a small story related to Hanuman and it will leave audience thoroughly satisfied with the visualisation of the character, like how we have imagined him since childhood. We worked on the character sketches alone for a year. "I have always been fascinated by the stories from our mythology and culture. When I was researching 'HanuMan', I found more characters in our mythology that we have not really explored. The audiences are also not aware of them. So I thought, it'd be interesting if I could create new characters and narrate their greatness at the same time", Varma told PTI following the film's release. Varma revealed that he narrated the story to lyricist Siva Shakthi Datta for his guidance.

India Today Sana Farzeen notes, "Hanumanth attains superpowers, giving him the way to win his ladylove's heart. However, the catch is, just like Koi... Mil Gaya Jaadu, the power or Lord Hanuman's 'mani' can help him only when the sun is up." She also notes "fictional world of Anjanadri, a land that looks like a beta version of Mahishmati (Baahubali). A huge statue of Hanuman adorns the location as a prelude to all that is set to follow." About choosing the fictional village Anjanadri, Varma said "If Gotham is based on New York City, Anjanadri, which is also the name of Hanumanthudu's birthplace, is an island in Andhra Pradesh, somewhat like Yanam." He also gained inspiration from Krrish (2006) and Minnal Murali (2021).

The film has ample references to pop culture elements, Spider-Man, Superman and Batman. The film pays tribute to Telugu superstars such as Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, Pawan Kalyan, Allu Arjun, and Nandamuri Balakrishna. The film also has scenes referring Baahubali (2015), Athadu (2005), Arya (2004) and Pushpa: The Rise (2021).

Music
The music of the film is composed by GowraHari, Anudeep Dev and Krishna Saurabh. The audio rights were acquired by Tips Industries.

The soundtrack consists of seven original songs, namely, "Hanuman Chalisa", "SuperHero HanuMan", "Avakaya Anjaneya", "Sri Ramadootha Stotram", "Anjanadri Theme Song", Meenakshi Intro Song titled "Poolamme Pilla", and "Raghunandana". Lyrics are written by Krishna Kanth, Simhachalam Mannela, Hanumath Ramadootha Strotam, Siva Shakthi Datta, Kasarla Shyam, and Tripuraneni Kalyanachakravarthy.

Marketing
On 21 November 2022, the official teaser of the film was released. Teaser launch event was held at AMB Cinemas., Hyderabad The team introduced NFT collectibles on 13 December 2022, becoming the first Telugu film to do so. On 28 November 2023, Avakaya Anjaneya song launch event was held at Hyderabad. Teja Sajja promoted the film at SREEVISION'23 at Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology that held on 12 December 2023.

The official trailer was released on 18 December 2023 in five languages. Trailer launch event was held at AMB Cinemas. Subsequently, the trailer was attached to the prints of Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire for theatrical screenings. On 24 December, Teja Sajja promoted the film at the Star Sports Telugu Pro Kabaddi League. Later, on 31 December, a video was released titled "SESH X HANUMAN" on YouTube, in which Adivi Sesh interviewed Prasanth Varma and Teja Sajja.

Soon after, the team has planned a promotional tour, titled "The Superhero Tour," across six cities over six days, starting from 4 January 2024 to 9 January 2024. On the first day of the tour, the team headed to Kochi for a press meeting at Crowne Plaza. On the second day, the team moved to Chennai to attend interviews and press meetings at the Green Park Hotel. Later, interviews and press meet were held at The Shelton Grand Hotel, Bengaluru. On the fourth day, Mega Pre-Release Utsav was held at N Convention in Hyderabad. Chiranjeevi was the chief guest of the event, which was hosted by Suma Kanakala. On the fifth day, an event was held by the film's Hindi distributor, AA Films, at the PVR Citi Mall in Mumbai, where the cast and crew interacted with the media and fans. Rana Daggubati was the chief guest at the event. On sixth day, the team visited the Hanuman Mandir in New Delhi and interacted with the local media to promote their film in the region.

Theatrical
The film was theatrically released on 12 January 2024 in Telugu, along with the dubbed versions of Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. In an interview Varma revealed that distributors in Japan and Korea approached the makers after watching the teaser. In late January 2024, it was reported that 3D version of the film is scheduled to release in summer 2024, with additional scenes. It is set to also play at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival on August 3, 2024.

Distribution
Mythri Movie Makers distributed the film in the Nizam (Telangana) region. The film was distributed across Andhra Pradesh by Teja Pictures (Guntur), Abhi Cinemas (Nellore), Sai Chandra Films (Ceeded), Primeshow Films (Uttarandhra), Sri Venkata Padmavathi Films (East Godavari) and Dheeraj Mogilineni Entertainment (West Godavari and Krishna district). Sakthi Film Factory acquired the distribution rights to the film in Tamil Nadu. Sree Gokulam Movies acquired the distribution rights to the film in Kerala. The Karnataka theatrical rights were acquired by KRG Studios. AA Films released the film in North India. Primeshow Entertainment and Nirvana Cinemas released the film in North America.

Home media
In February 2022, it was reported that the film's digital rights were acquired by ZEE5 and Zee Network acquired the satellite rights of the film. The combined deal of post-theatrical streaming and satellite rights was reported to be ₹35 crore. The film premiered on ZEE5 on 16 March 2024. The Hindi version premiered on Jio Cinema and Colors Cineplex. The Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada versions are scheduled to premiere on 5 April 2024 on Disney+ Hotstar.

Critical response
Hanu-Man received highly positive reviews from critics who praised Prashanth Varma's direction, screenwriting, cast performances, visualization of Lord Hanuman, background score, VFX, production design, and action sequences.

Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "With solid storytelling, impressive visuals, and strong performances, the film successfully merges elements of mythology with contemporary action, offering a unique viewing experience in Indian cinema." Bhavana Sharma of Deccan Chronicle gave 3.5/5 and stated "HanuMan" stands as a solid entertainer with a rich tapestry of drama, emotions, and mythology skillfully woven together." Sana Farzeen of India Today gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "The music is quite pleasant and the VFX department has done a fair job. Also, the comedy scenes had the theatre laughing out loud, and would definitely tickle the young and older audiences' funny bones." Abhimanyu Mathur of DNA India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "HanuMan is a brilliant, visually stunning effort from Prasanth Varma in blending mythology with the superhero genre."

Rishil Jogani from Pinkvilla gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "HanuMan is the first surprise package of 2024 as director Prasanth Varma brings out his ambition to the big screen with utmost conviction. The film entertains with the right amount of drama, action, comedy, and devotional value. What holds attention apart from the vision of creating something magical is also the non-serious approach to the superhero tale." Bhargav Chaganti from NTV gave 3.5/5 stars and stated that "Hanuman – Goosebumps Guaranteed Film. Enjoy the festival with the whole family without any hindrance." Y Maheswara Reddy of Bangalore Mirror gave 3.5/5 stars and stated that Prashant Varma "has succeeded in aptly mixing mythology with social elements such as exploitation of the poor by the greedy and underdeveloped villages and the lifestyle of people in such villages. Computer-generated images are a visual treat for family as well as mass audiences, especially children."

Saki of Telangana Today wrote that "HanuMan is the best technically made film in recent times in Telugu. The music, visuals, VFX, and all other production elements totally shine in every episode." Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote that Director Prasanth Varma and actor Teja Sajja's superhero film blends the familiar good versus evil superpower template with a touch of devotion, and tops it with entertaining masala segments" Ram Venkata Srikar of Film Companion wrote that "Hanu Man is an inspiring start, It might just be the biggest surprise for Sankranthi."

Box office
Hanu-Man is the biggest Sankranthi hit in 92 years of Tollywood history. Hanu-Man broke several box-office records for a Telugu film. The film has grossed an estimated inr 3500000000, emerging as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024, highest-grossing Telugu film of 2024 and the eighth highest-grossing Telugu film worldwide.

The film grossed inr 150000000 on its opening day in India. HanuMan's Hindi version collected a net of inr 62000000 in two days domestically. In its three days of theatrical run, the film grossed over inr 750000000 worldwide, with inr 465000000 from India. inr 122600000 came from Hindi dubbed version alone in three days. The film grossed overwithin inr 1000000000 four days of its release.

Hanu-Man collected over inr 1500000000 in seven days. Hindi version grossed inr 225000000 in a week of its release. It grossed inr 1141000000 in nine days run. The film grossed over inr 2000000000 in 10 days worldwide, with inr 1320500000 domestically. In 12 days of its theatrical run, the film grossed over inr 2003200000 worldwide. The film also collect a distributor share over inr 300000000 in the Nizam territory (Telangana) in two weeks. Hanu-Man crossed inr 2727799999.9999995 worldwide, and Hindi version grossed over inr 450000000 in 18 days of its release.

Future
A sequel, titled Jai HanuMan, was announced in the end credits of the film. It was revealed that Lord Hanuman would have more prominence than the character of Hanumanthu in the film. Hanu-Man is the first film in a future shared universe of superhero films created by Prasanth Varma, based on Hinduism, with Adhira being the third installment. Varma announced that the sequel had commenced pre-production work on the occasion of the inauguration of the Ram Mandir, Ayodhya. Later, it was reported that Ram Charan was auditioned for the role of Shri Ram in the sequel.