New Delhi

"Hanuman Ansh", based on the life and teachings of spiritual leader Neem Karoli Baba, has earned over Rs 250 crore at the box office.

The film is directed by Vishal Chaturvedi and follows a grieving Lakshminarayan, who embarks on a spiritual journey in search of God after the death of his mother.

According to the trade tracking website Sacnilk, the total collection of the film stands at Rs 253.55 crore at the box office. The nett collection of the film is Rs 214.63 crore at the box office.

The film was made on a paltry budget of just Rs 2 crore released in Indian theatres on August 7, and opened to modest box office numbers, with collections remaining low during its first two weeks before picking up pace on the back of positive word-of-mouth.

It features Shobhinaw Satya in the lead role alongside Vihaan Shedge, Chandan K Anand, Purnima Tiwari, Anil Rastogi, Gulshan Pandey and Bhagvandas Patel.

Baba Neem Karoli was born around 1900 in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district and died in 1973. He was married early and became a wandering hermit.

His devotees include famous names such as Julia Roberts, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg also reportedly visited his ashram in Kainchi Dham in the hill state.

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The film opened on 250 screens, which has increased to 2,000 screens following the box office surge.