New Delhi: Graphic India’s The Legend of Hanuman Season 5 retained its position as the most-streaming original OTT show for two consecutive weeks. It has a total of 9.4 million views, beating shows like The Great Indian Kapil Show and Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, both streaming on Netflix. It also clocked a million more views than the Kajol and Kriti Sanon film Do Patti, which was in second place this week. The compilation is based on data between 21 October to 3 November.
“We look at animation in the way Japan and Korea have always looked at it—as a medium and not a kids’ genre. Graphic India’s mission has always been to create stories that resonate with a wide audience aged eight to 80 and do justice to the complex subject matter of these mythologies,” said Sharad Devarajan, co-creator, producer and showrunner of the series.
This season of the series focuses on Sita’s captivity in Lanka and the efforts of Ram, Lakshman, and Hanuman to find her. It has six episodes, each around 20 to 25 minutes.
This marriage of animation and religion is a winning combination. The Ormax ratings show that it trumps drama, comedy and reality TV.
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Growing universe of Hanuman content
The Legend of Hanuman is not the first mythology-based animated show to have achieved massive viewership in India. Chota Bheem, created by Hyderabad-based Green Gold Animations, has also had multiple seasons on TV. The characters even had feature-length films. The show Little Krishna (2009), which had a 13-episode run on Nickelodeon and three feature films, had an investment of Rs 50 crore.
The Legend of Hanuman has managed to make a mark, despite the entry and increasing popularity of anime, and other animated offerings from film industries outside India.
“Our goal with Legend of Hanuman was to use some of the power of contemporary animation, direction and storytelling to portray the characters we all love in a way we imagine them. Our goal too was to create a transcendent moment for Indian animation,” said Devarajan.
The popularity of the series has peaked at a time when there is a renewed interest among filmmakers on the Ramayana, and the figure of Hanuman. This week, filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari announced the dates for his take on the epic, to be released in two parts. Rishab Shetty’s look as Hanuman in Prashanth Varma’s Jai Hanuman was also revealed on the eve of Diwali. The film is part of the ‘Prashant Varma Cinematic Universe’. The first film in the universe—Hanu-Man, featuring Teja Sajja, was released on 12 January.
“Previous versions of Hanuman’s legend have told one or two basic stories, either tales of a mischievous young Hanuman as a child; or fully grown Hanuman making the leap to Lanka as a God, strengthened by his victories and full powers. Our series really explored his internal journey of self-discovery and emotional growth,” said Devarajan.
Graphic India had planned multiple seasons before launching the series in 2021, realising the market space for family-oriented content and the country’s love for tales from the Hindu epics. The Ormax ratings have bolstered their vision.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)