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Published 21:20 IST, January 30th 2024

Mahesh Babu As Lord Ram, Chiranjeevi As Lord Hanuman: HanuMan Director's Ambitious Cast For Sequel

Soon after the commercial success of the superhero film HanuMan, director Prasanth Varma announced the sequel to the Teja Sajja starrer, titled Jai HanuMan.

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Chiranjeevi, Prasanth Varma, Mahesh Babu
Chiranjeevi, Prasanth Varma, Mahesh Babu | Image: IMDb

Prasanth Varma's recently released movie HanuMan has emerged as a blockbuster while defying expectations with a budget of 40-45 crores and a relatively unknown ensemble cast. The lead actor Teja Sajja who was previously seen in supporting roles in films like Oh Baby and as the lead in Zombie Reddy is not a widely recognized star for such a substantial investment.

It was Prasanth Varma's visionary approach that persuaded the makers to allocate such a significant budget. Employing a strategic approach, Varma used his strengths and the character of Hanuman to create the Indian Super-Hero HanuMan in the film. Despite facing competition from other Sankranti releases like Saindhav, Naa Saami Ranga and Guntur Kaaram, the movie grossed a staggering Rs.250 crores upon its release.

HanuMan poster | Image: IMDb

Prasanth Varma wants to cast Mahesh Babu and Chiranjeevi in HanuMan’s sequel

With the success of HanuMan, Prasanth Varma is gearing up for a sequel titled Jai Hanuman. Commencing pre-production on the day the Ayodhya Temple was inaugurated, Varma revealed in an interview that he plans to present the Hanuman character in a way that any actor can portray it while utilising VFX and CGI for the appearance.

Expressing his desire to cast actors with undeniable screen presence, Varma mentioned Megastar Chiranjeevi for the role of Hanuman and expressed interest in casting Mahesh Babu as Shri Ram.

What are Varma's plans with Jai HanuMan?

Discussing his broader plans, Varma in the same interview with Great Andhra revealed that he envisions creating the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU), comprising 12 superhero films, systematically produced with substantial budgets. He plans to expand his scriptwriting team to 100 writers with some of them transitioning into directors in the future. Additionally, Varma announced the initiation of Adheera which will be a part of PVCU with a new director.

On the box office front, HanuMan has crossed the 5 million dollar mark in the USA and becoming the highest-grossing Sankranti film of 2024.

HanuMan poster | Image: IMDb

Achieving the status of the biggest Sankranthi hit in 92 years of Tollywood history, the film's gross has surpassed 260 crores with projections nearing 300 crores by the end of its run.

Updated 21:40 IST, January 30th 2024