India, Aug. 28 -- With a tambura for company and devotional songs as his calling, Suneel Lodhi had spent years singing in and around his home in Bundelkhand. He was initially known to people around him when he started posting songs on Bundeli Duniya, but the reach of his music remained largely local. Then filmmaker and music producer Pankaj VRK heard his voice in a simple recording ofMore Sankat Ke Kataiya. That song changed everything.

The traditional Hanuman bhajan, sung by the visually impaired Bundeli singer, has now amassed over 29 million views online, making him a pan-India viral sensation. It eventually took him to a Mumbai recording studio, paving the way for his voice inHanuman Ansh, the Hindi spiritual film that has emerged as...