Mahavatar Narsimha's Maha success a wake-up call for Indian film industry?

Mahavatar Narsimha is shattering box office records for an animated movie in India. Directed by Ashwin Kumar, Mahavatar Narsimha is being described as a gripping film with marvellous animation and spiritually enriching experience. The movie is trending better in its second week than the first one. It has crossed the Rs 100-crore mark, and trade predicts that it has potential to do business for Rs 200-crore. Like Saiyaara, it has picked up in semi-urban and rural areas as well. It is running to full houses even in towns of Bihar, which is stupendous news. Here is a look at the box office break-up of Mahavatar Narsimha.

The movie started off with a modest Rs 1. 45 crores on Friday on its first week. Mahavatar Narsimha made Rs 5.5 crores on its second Friday. The difference in the first and second weekend is staggering. From Rs 11.8 crores to Rs 34.50 crores in the second weekend, it is a huge win for the makers. Filmmaker Ashwin Kumar put in everything he had for the film. Hombale Films is the one that is presenting Mahavatar Narsimha to the world. The production house has also announced the Mahavatar Cinematic Universe.

Mahavatar Narsimha is based on the story of Prahlad and Hiranyakashyapu. As we know, Prahlad was subjected to a lot of torture by the tyrant king. However, his devotion was unwavering. Finally, when he was about to be killed, Lord Vishnu in the form of Narsimha came and saved him. Fans are in love with the animation, especially the cosmic depictions of the Universe, and avatars of Lord Vishnu. The emotional story-telling has also touched hearts of viewers. We have seen people leaving footwear outside the cinema halls. After Hombale Films’ Kantara, this is another mytho movie from the production house, which is winning hearts.

This is also a wake-up call for the Indian film industry. Kalki 2898 AD maker Nag Ashwin said that India is full of stories that make for perfect animation content. In 2024, Prasanth Varma’s Hanu-Man made on a modest budget was also a success. It was a combination of animation and a feature film. He has also announced his cinematic universe. Hanu – Man had made Rs 44 crores in North America only with its modest VFX. Mahavatar Narsimha got its release in the US on July 31 2025 and has made USD 250K. It is running to full house in the limited screens.

But did the Indian box office wake up too late to this genre. Way back, in 2014, Chaar Sahibzaade was produced by Harman Baweja. It told the tale of the bravery of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh who sacrificed their lives in the battle against the Mughals. The film made Rs 70 crores in India and abroad. Indian filmmakers could have capitalized to bring forth more such glorious tales rooted in our land. Abroad, the success of movies like Ne Zha prove that foreign audiences are not even needed to make huge profits.

We know that the Chota Bheem franchise can be termed as a relatively successful one but India truly has the scope to deliver better animation films. We hope this roaring success of Mahavatar Narsimha wakes up Indian filmmakers to create more magic on celluloid.