India, Aug. 31 -- 2026 may not have been a red-letter year for Indian cinema at the box office, but it has seen some massive individual successes across languages. Be it Dhurandhar the Revenge, Jana Nayagan, or Awarapan 2, films have broken through in various genres and across scales and budgets to script success. But none of these is the biggest hit of the year from India. That record belongs to a spiritual film with no star, a small budget, and hardly any promotion. And yet, it has earned more than 20x its production budget.

The devotional drama Hanuman Ansh, about the life and legacy of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba, is the biggest box-office hit in Indian cinema this year, earning a staggering 2000% profit and already making 21x ...