Mahavatar Narsimha has emerged as one of the biggest box office success stories of 2025, closing in on the ₹300 Cr gross mark at the time of publishing this report. The Hindi version alone has contributed more than 75% of its domestic earnings. The film now stands as the third-highest-grossing release of the year in India, behind only Chhaava and Saiyaara. What makes this feat remarkable is not just that it came without a marquee star cast or an astronomical budget, but that it belongs to a format that has historically struggled in India: animation.

Animation has long been a weak theatrical genre in the country. The Tamil motion-capture film Kochadaiiyaan (2014), mounted on a ₹100 Cr+ budget and starring Rajinikanth and Deepika Padukone, was hailed as a breakthrough, but could only gross around ₹30 Cr. Even the biggest Hollywood animation juggernauts, such as Kung Fu Panda 4, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Frozen 2 or Inside Out 2, grossed only about ₹40-50 Cr in India, though photo-realistic animation titles in The Lion King franchise have managed to break through. Out of 51 Hollywood animation releases in India since January 2021, only 13 have grossed even ₹10 Cr. At the time of publishing this report, an anime feature (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle) is poised to set new benchmarks. But that's another story, for another day.

But if we turn our attention back to Indian films, the contrast is stark. In a market where the year’s top grosser can cross ₹700 Cr, the fact that the highest-grossing Indian animation film before 2025 had stalled at just ₹30 Cr highlights the format’s long-standing limitations. Against this backdrop, Mahavatar Narsimha stands out as a watershed moment for Indian animation at the box office. The critical question, however, is whether this success signals a genuine genre breakthrough or remains an exceptional, film-specific phenomenon. Put simply: Has India finally warmed up to animation?

The Punjabi animated film Chaar Sahibzaade (2014) offers a telling parallel. Depicting the emotional story of Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s four sons and their sacrifice, it grossed ₹20 Cr and held the record as the highest-grossing Punjabi film for nearly four years. Between 2016 and 2019, four Punjabi animated films (including two sequels from the Chaar Sahibzaade franchise) were released, but none came close to replicating that success. Evidently, the achievement of Chaar Sahibzaade was a film-specific triumph rather than a genre breakthrough.

Yet, its success more than a decade ago carried an important insight: when a film is rooted in religion, culture, and collective identity, the story matters far more than the format or genre. 11 years later, we see the same principle at play in the box office performance of Mahavatar Narsimha.

Let us now look at some of these aspects in the specific context of the 2025 film.

Genre power: Mythology

In our 2023 audience profiling research among regular Hindi theatre-goers (Ormax Cine Sense), Mythology ranked at a notable no. 5 on the list of most appealing genres. Here, “Appeal” is defined as the percentage of audience strongly inclined to watch films belonging to a particular genre. Given the absence of major mythological releases in the years leading up to the research, the genre emerged as a clear whitespace. By contrast, Animation sat at the bottom of the genre ladder, with an Appeal score of just 33%.

The potential of mythological storytelling can be gauged from the success of the web series The Legend of Hanuman, which has run for six seasons so far, each one achieving strong viewership and consistently high Ormax Power Rating (OPR), a measure of likeability and engagement. This trend also aligns with the larger movement in Indian cinema, where mythological and culturally-rooted narratives are increasingly cutting across demographics. Recent hits like Kalki 2898 AD and Hanu-Man are strong examples, though these films used mythology primarily as a backdrop. Mahavatar Narsimha, in contrast, placed mythology at the very core of its storytelling.

While demand for mythological films is clearly high, the supply remains limited, particularly in Hindi cinema. Since 2022, only two Hindi mythological films (Adipurush and Brahmāstra) have crossed the ₹100 Cr mark. This reflects a significant demand–supply gap, one that Mahavatar Narsimha was able to address successfully, despite the inherent challenges related to audience acceptance of the animation format.

From cartoons to characters

In India, animation has long been synonymous with “cartoons,” and therefore perceived as content for children. Mahavatar Narsimha disrupted this notion by presenting its protagonist not as a caricature, but as a cinematic and reverential depiction of Lord Narsimha. This creative choice lent the film spiritual weight and cultural legitimacy. The deliberate absence of humor - often a staple in animated films - further reinforced its serious, devotional tone. The film’s positioning was unambiguous: this was a solemn retelling of mythology, not a cartoon comedy. That clarity helped dismantle one of the strongest negative associations audiences have with animation, allowing the film to grow its footfalls with each passing day.

More than visuals or technology, it is storytelling that determines the acceptance of animation as a genre in India. To surpass the animation barrier, the narrative of the film, whether Indian or foreign, must carry sufficient depth and emotional gravitas. And "cartoons" are not known for that.

A true family film

Mahavatar Narsimha’s narrative operates less like a “cartoon” and more like a mainstream commercial film, rendered through animation. Though rooted in mythology, it infuses contemporary relevance and emotional heft into its dialogues and character arcs, allowing it to resonate with adult audiences. For instance, when Bhakta Prahlad, a demon devoted to God, declares, “Bhakti kul nahin, hriday ka vishay hai”, devotion is framed as an inclusive, anti-caste statement, far beyond the scope of children’s storytelling. Similarly, Hiranyakashipu's motivations were explored with psychological nuance, closer to an adult drama than a kids’ adventure.

By embedding mature themes - casteism, the philosophy of belief, and the conflict between faith and ambition - within an accessible narrative, Mahavatar Narsimha positioned itself as a true family film. It invited engagement across generations, rather than confining itself to the children’s category, where parents typically serve as passive companions rather than active viewers.

Cultural flex

The story of Lord Narsimha and Bhakta Prahlad is deeply embedded in Hindu tradition, making it instantly familiar and culturally resonant. Mahavatar Narsimha built on this familiarity by weaving in the larger pantheon of Hindu deities, integrating shlokas as songs, and offering philosophical reflections on faith. The result was more than an animated narrative; it became a culturally-immersive and, for many viewers, a spiritually-compelling experience.

Films that draw on cultural identity often spark a community-viewing phenomenon. Titles such as Gadar 2, The Kashmir Files, and Chhaava extended beyond individual entertainment choices because they invoked collective pride, belief, or nostalgia. In a similar vein, Mahavatar Narsimha did not need to justify its animated format; its association with Lord Narsimha alone provided a powerful draw for audiences seeking a communal, faith-driven experience.

The knowledge benefit

One of the strongest drivers of audience engagement with mythology is the “knowledge benefit” - the sense of discovering, validating, or deepening one’s understanding of cultural roots. Our studies consistently show that viewers derive not only information but also pride from this process, moving from cultural exploration to what can be described as cultural assertion.

Mahavatar Narsimha weaves such knowledge nuggets seamlessly into its narrative. From explaining the story behind Holika Dahan to decoding the etymology of Hiranyakashipu's name (traced to Sage Kashyap), the film continually offers audiences fresh cultural insights while reinforcing existing ones.

Avoiding the pitfalls of live-action mythology films

Live-action films based on Gods or mythology in India often carry enormous baggage. Every creative decision - from casting and the actor’s personal image to costume design and the visual interpretation of deities - is subject to intense scrutiny, with the potential to alienate, even enrage, sections of the audience. Adipurush stands as the most visible recent example of how these sensitivities can derail a film.

Animation, by contrast, offers a safer canvas. It sidesteps the risks of star casting, and enables visual interpretations that feel both reverential and imaginative, without being bound by real-world limitations. Mahavatar Narsimha capitalizes on this advantage: the animation format shields it from the controversies that typically surround live-action religious narratives, while still delivering scale, spectacle, and devotion.

In conclusion

The chants and bhajans before screenings, and the audience’s reverence during Narsimha’s on-screen 'darshan', made it clear that the format was the least of their concerns. What mattered was the story, its cultural resonance, and the pride it evoked. The success of Mahavatar Narsimha, therefore, should not be mistaken as evidence that Indian audiences have suddenly embraced animation as a genre. Rather, it is a reminder that powerful, culturally-rooted storytelling can transcend the limitations of any format.

In short, Mahavatar Narsimha succeeds despite being animated, and not because it is animated.