Exclusive - Mahavatar Narasimha director Ashwin Kumar on film's box office triumph: 'Its opened doors for the animation industry in India'

Mahavatar Narasimha director Ashwin Kumar is making 7 films on this universe.

In a year packed with the much-anticipated big-budget blockbusters and global crossovers, the unexpected stormer of 2025 is an animated mythological film that’s been a surprise hit—Mahavatar Narasimha.

Mahavatar Narasimha, directed by Ashwin Kumar, is not only being hailed for its spiritual storytelling and cinematic finesse, but it’s also seen as a potential turning point for Indian animation — a space often sidelined by mainstream filmmakers.

Made on a relatively modest budget of a mere Rs 40 crore, Mahavatar Narasimha has emerged as one of the highest-grossing animated films in Indian history.

In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol, director Ashwin Kumar spoke about the soul of the film and how tech shaped the storytelling and the future of homegrown animation.

Ashwin also further revealed that he is working on a massive cinematic universe - one that already has seven new films in the pipeline.

Ask him if he anticipated the thunderous response to Narasimha, and Ashwin says 'I knew it was going to make a stir but this is surreal.'

“Thank you so much. First of all, thank you so much for your wishes and this is the film of Bharat. It's for the people of Bharat and what we basically see is the people embracing their land, cultural heritage and the cultural stories and that's what we see. Did I anticipate this? I knew it was going to make a stir for sure, but how big it's snowballed into is rather surreal and but I'm embracing it with all my heart that the people are loving Bhakt Prahlad and their dozens of Shri Vishnu and Bharat Swami form. So, it's people's temple now.”

The movie has now collected Rs 112.8 crore net in India.

Ashwin said that the film’s success lies in how it has offered a tangible, visual experience of a myth that’s been deeply embedded in the Indian consciousness.

“This story has been there around and we've all either seen it, heard it from a grandparents, read it in Amar Chitra katha... We've all know it but we've never experienced it. And the tangibility this film has brought to their own divinity that is what this film has basically touched, I feel," he told us

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Modest Budget of Rs 40 Cr vs Box Office

Much has been speculated about Mahavatar Narasimha’s cost, we asked Ashwin about it and he clears the air. He says there are many false figures floating around and wants to clear it up by himself.

“The final budget that the film was dished out was about Rs 40 cr, and above that we have a lot of marketing, etc. now that's still going, because we have international release," he says.

When asked how much time it took him to bring this masterpiece to life, he says: "This has been a four and a half years, now five, a labour of love for all the artists at Kleem Productions... working at it meticulously, inch by inch day by day, you know, frame by frame, because everything that you see on the screen is digitally created, rendered. And it's a basically a piece of art, it's a floral piece that I'm just gifting out to the people at large."

Narasimha continues to draw audiences even on weekdays, proving its emotional resonance and theatrical appeal.

“Collections are the consequence of this feeling, here you have prelude in the lap of Lord Vishnu speaking, tearing up that is what makes it eternal and that is what makes it sanatana."

Ashwin also revealed, that Hombale Films and Kleem Productions have also officially unveiled the lineup for this ambitious animated franchise, which will span over a decade. It will chronicle 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu: Mahavatar Narsimha (2025), Mahavatar Parshuram (2027), Mahavatar Raghunandan (2029), Mahavatar Dwarkadhish (2031), Mahavatar Gokulananda (2033), Mahavatar Kalki Part 1 (2035), and Mahavatar Kalki Part 2 (2037).

The rise of indigenous Animation

Ashwin says he is very clear that India has always had the talent to compete with the best in the world but what was missing was the will.

Yes, for animation and VFX, I feel that we are, you know, we have the one of the best studios, and, you know, in the world that can produce animation and VFX, and they are, they are doing the Ramayana, right? They are Oscar winning studios. So it was, it was, it is never a skill issue, I feel. It was the will issue of doing these kind of things. So, it's just the people, and now since the tools are getting much easy to use, democratised and accessible for the younger creators, we shouldn't be surprised that if, if five kids in the garage made a film that just does another thousand crores, you know, in the next five years. So it's not a skill issue anymore. The tools are accessible and easy for everyone to use. It's just the will to learn it and use them and tell a good story. You can pick up your phone today and shoot a film and people have been making a lot of heads turn doing that also. So this, this, yeah, but I just hope this gives the confidence to the new creators and to bring up out a revolution of content," he stressed.

With Narasimha proving the demand, the momentum has begun. Ashwin sees this as a moment of reckoning for the industry:

“Animation only happens to be a medium... the power of this medium is actually a more, it has more longevity shelf life than a normal regular film.”

AI as a tool, not the storyteller

Technology, especially AI, played a key role in the making of Narasimha, but Ashwin warns against handing over the creative reins to machines.

“While it can mimic the skills, right? But it cannot... it can tell a story, but it does not know if it's a good story, bad story, or if it's a story that is touching you, right? So that, that is what makes human, human. AI only as a tool, as a medium of one more tool of making colors on the canvas. That's how I see it," he said.

The filmmaker is not resting on the laurels of Narasimha and says hope the 'success doesn't go into our heads.' Since he has an entire cinematic universe planned — with spiritual transcendence at its core.

“We are here to serve, that is our mission, and that is our goal of life, because we have seven more films to go. It's an entire universe that we are setting... Apart from that, I have two other films which are probably going to be live action. One is a horror film and the other film revolves around the concept of Ardha Nareshwara,” he added.

Despite the scale of this vision, Ashwin insists his storytelling will remain rooted in the spiritual core of Bharat. We asked him if he fears being typecast after the success of Narasimha, to this he says: "Even if I'm doing live action or if I'm doing Puranic stories, that is my calling, high quality stories that revolve around spirituality and higher virtues, values and transcendental experiences, which Bharat Varsh is known for.”

Final Word

Narasimha is more than just an animated mythological tale, it’s a deeply felt artistic offering, powered by technology, but driven by soul.

“We made the film because we love what we were doing, and we really want to tell a story... if this film happens to be one of those films that changes the course of filmmaking, then we are all, with all humility, embrace the love that people are giving.”

Ashwin Kumar's vision goes beyond numbers, genres, or formats. In his own words: “This film is Bharat’s gift. And I just hope this gives the confidence to the new creators and to bring up out a revolution of content.”

Mahavatar Narsimha has already crossed Rs 100 crore at the box office and is still going strong.

Mahavatar Narsimha is directed by Ashwin Kumar and produced by Shilpaa Dhawan, Kushal Desai, and Chaitanya Desai under the banner of Kleem Productions, presented by Hombale Films, known for their compelling content.

Mahavatar Narsimha was released in 3D and in five Indian languages on 25th July 2025.