The box-office performance of his Telugu superhero film Hanuman came as a surprise to many. Now, Prasanth Varma says he wants to expand the film’s universe by getting a few Bollywood actors on board besides Telugu actors. Having announced two films from the franchise already — Jai Hanuman and Adhira, the director recently announced one more film from the Hanuman universe — Simba — starring Moksh Nandamuri.

“I have met a few actors and exchanged ideas with them, but it will take time. Some actors from Bollywood will surely be a part of the Hanuman universe,” he says.

The director also confirms that Jai Hanuman, which was slated for a January 2025 release, has been pushed. “Had Hanuman made only Rs. 100 crore, we would have been finishing Jai Hanuman by now. But since the film earned way more than that (Rs. 350 crore worldwide), our responsibility has also increased,” says Varma.

Sharing an update on the film’s status, the director adds, “We are doing a lot of prep and have worked a lot on the script. We are making sure that whatever you’d expect Hanuman ji to do, we have that in the film. It has come out well, and the casting is almost done. For Hanuman, we shot the film first and the VFX were added later. But now, we are prepping for that beforehand, so the post-production shouldn’t take much time.”

Varma continues: “The shoot hasn’t started yet. Adhira will come before Jai Hanuman, and we are working on two other films. We are aiming to release two films every year.”