“Pressure Exists Only When I Don’t Know What I’m Doing”: Mahavatar Narsimha Director

Historically, animated films have found it difficult to establish a mainstream market within Indian cinema, generally appealing only to niche audiences. Mahavatar Narsimha, the first title from the Mahavatar Cinematic Universe initiated by Hombale Films and produced by Kleem Productions, is, however, changing how animated films approach the Indian box office. The mythological animated title has entered its fourth week in theaters , drawing family audiences across metros and tier-2 cities, with the Hindi version performing well.

In light of the success of Mahavatar Narsimha, Ashwin Kumar spoke about pressure and the future of the franchise. “Pressure is there only if I don’t know what I’m doing. But I have clarity in my mind since I know the next seven films in the universe that I want to develop,” he said. His clarity regarding seven titles that will precede Mahavatar Narsimha certainly assures a definite roadmap, production clarity, and sequels for seven projects.

Mahavatar Narsimha has surpassed the ₹200 crore India nett benchmark and around ₹260-270 crore worldwide gross. While heading towards ₹300 crore, it maintains solid momentum. Its box office run has also led to ideas for expanding the franchise beyond cinema , including publishing, interactive experiences, and more.

The proposed Mahavatar Cinematic Universe identifies the next films in the series: Mahavatar Parshuram (2027), Mahavatar Raghunandan (2029), Mahavatar Dwarkadhish (2031), Mahavatar Gokulananda (2033), and the two-parter Mahavatar Kalki (2035 and 2037). This long-term vision demonstrates a deliberate method for storytelling and franchise development in Indian animation.

Mahavatar Narsimha is demonstrating that Indian animated films can succeed on the level of blockbuster cinema. With a confident directorial voice in Ashwin Kumar along with a well-defined franchise vision, the series could create a new territory for animated features in the market and stimulate greater investment from the industry as well as audience engagement with the genre. Ashwin also confirmed that the next film from the franchise, Mahavatar Parshuram, will start production in November this year.