‘Mahavatar Narsimha’ Becomes First Indian Animated Film to Cross Rs 100 Crore

Indian animated films have long been treated as niche entertainment, mostly thriving on television and streaming platforms while struggling to attract big crowds to theaters. Even globally celebrated animated hits like Frozen 2, Incredibles 2, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse managed only moderate collections in India.

That trend has now been dramatically altered by Mahavatar Narsimha, a devotional animated feature directed by Ashwin Kumar, which is rewriting the rules for Indian animation cinema.

A Game-Changer for Indian Animation

Released in multiple languages across India, Mahavatar Narsimha opened to a modest response in its first few days. But by the end of its opening week, positive word-of-mouth, strong family footfalls, and devotional appeal propelled the film into high gear.

The film saw a huge jump in collections during its second weekend, officially crossing the ?100 crore mark in just 10 days, with a total gross of over ?105 crore across India. This makes it the first-ever animated film — Indian or international — to achieve this milestone domestically.

Why Is Mahavatar Narsimha Connecting So Well?

Industry analysts point to a combination of factors:

• Devotional theme: The story of Lord Narsimha resonates deeply with Indian audiences, particularly family viewers.
• Multi-language release: By catering to Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, and other regional audiences, the film tapped into a wide demographic.
• Word-of-mouth momentum: Families and devotional groups have been recommending the film, creating strong repeat viewership.
• Holiday timing: Released in a relatively lean phase before big-ticket films like Coolie and War 2, the film has enjoyed a clear run.

A Historic Milestone

Before this, the highest-grossing Indian animated film was Hanuman (2005) with a little over ?10 crore. Among international titles, Frozen 2 and Incredibles 2 peaked at around ?50 crore in India. Mahavatar Narsimha has more than doubled those numbers, setting a new benchmark for the genre.

The Road Ahead

With no major theatrical competition until the release of Coolie and War 2, the film is expected to continue its strong run for at least another week or two. Trade experts believe the film could comfortably cross ?125–?150 crore in its full run, an unheard-of figure for animated cinema in India.

Mahavatar Narsimha has proven that animated films, when rooted in Indian culture and backed by strong storytelling, can draw massive audiences to theaters. For the Indian film industry, this is more than a success story — it’s a game-changer.