Filmmaker Rajesh Mapuskar didn’t grow up as devoted follower of Hanuman ji, but the process of making his upcoming AI-generated release Chiranjeevi Hanuman: The Eternal, has made him feel closer to the God. On Hanuman Jayanti today, he tells us, “I was not a very devoted follower of Hanuman ji before. My connection to him was every Saturday, watching my parents go to the Hanuman temple and offer sindoor, black sesame and oil. But as I’m going deeper and trying to understand what he was like, I’m admiring him and how he’s been portrayed in Valmiki Ramayan and various writers who have written about him.”
The National-award winner Rajesh Mapuskar adds that he is also experiencing the power of Hanuman Chalisa. “I’m getting influenced by the power of Hanuman Chalisa and I recite that every day from the time I started the project. It really balances your state of mind and gives you encouragement just by reciting it once. It just picks you from your low moments,” he says.
Calling Hanumanji as “undoubtedly world’s first superhero”, the filmmaker insists on the importance of having faith in Hanumanji in today’s time. “He lies within all of us, and when we go into self-doubt and wonder what actually our calling is, he guides us on how one can rise from that dark corner of our minds. He helps us keep going and keep trying and giving our best,” he shares, adding, “It’s not about him being physically required, but that spirit is required that you can fly too, and this flying is metaphorical.”
Rajesh considers it a “divine opportunity” that he is getting to show Hanumanji’s life on screen through his work. “I feel there is some divine power taking me through this process, holding my hand and telling me to tell his story as per what I understand what Hanumanji is like. I am getting this full freedom to express myself through him,” he says, adding, “Understanding what it means in today’s world to know Hanumanji and the meaning behind his spirit, his power, his siddhis and how that can be made contemporary today to encourage oneself, that’s been a great learning.”
