Mahavatar Narsimha is a 2024[c] Indian animated epicdevotional[13]action film directed by Ashwin Kumar in his directorial debut, written by Jayapurna Das, produced by Kleem Productions, and presented by Hombale Films.[14][15] The film is the first installment in the planned animated seven-part Mahavatar Cinematic Universe, based on the ten avatars of Vishnu.[d]
The film chronicles two incarnations of Vishnu, Varaha and Narasimha. Varaha, a mighty boar, rescues Bhudevi (Mother Earth) from the asura (demon) Hiranyaksha. After his victory, the story shifts to Hiranyakashipu, Hiranyaksha's brother, who gains a boon, declares himself god, and oppresses Vishnu's followers. Prahlada, his son and devoted follower of Vishnu, remains faithful despite his father's threats. To save Prahlada and defeat evil, Vishnu appears as Narsimha, a half-man, half-lion form, who kills Hiranyakashipu while honoring the conditions of the demon's boon from Brahma. Blending two major episodes from the Dashavatara, Mahavatar Narsimha explores themes of divine justice, unshakable faith, and the eternal promise of protection to the righteous.[e]
The soundtrack and background score were composed by Sam C. S., with editing handled by Ajay Varma and Ashwin Kumar himself.[23]
Sage Kashyapa is engaged in evening prayers when one of his wives, Diti, approaches him for children. Kashyapa requests Diti to be patient as it is an inauspicious time for union, but she remains adamant, and Kashyapa relents. However, the next morning, Kashyapa reveals to Diti that since she approached him during an inauspicious hour, she shall give birth to two ferocious demons who shall provoke enmity with the gods, terrorize their devotees, and will eventually be slain by Lord Vishnu Himself when they reach the peak of their tyranny, all to Diti's dismay. Diti, as told by her husband, ends up giving birth to two demonic sons, Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, who are later instructed in tamasic knowledge and mystical powers under the guidance of Shukra, the guru of demons. As they grow in power, the brothers wage war on the universe.
The younger brother, Hiranyaksha, kidnaps Bhudevi (Mother Earth) and imprisons her under the Causal Ocean to provoke Vishnu, throwing the world into chaos. In response, Vishnu takes the form of Varaha—a colossal, divine boar—and engages in a fierce battle across the cosmic waters. Varaha rescues Bhudevi and kills Hiranyaksha in the subsequent duel.
Devastated by the death of his beloved brother and consumed by vengeance, Hiranyakashipu unleashes his tyranny on Vishnu's devotees and, upon Shukra's advice, retreats into the Himalayas for deep tapasya (penance) in order to obtain a boon of his choice from Brahma to be able to deal with Vishnu. His severe penance start burning the cosmos, forcing Brahma to appear before him and granting him his boon, which was: he cannot be slain by any creation of Brahma, be it a god, man or beast, during the day or at night, indoors or outdoors, on land or in the sky, by any animate or inanimate object, by any weapon or by hand. Believing himself to be now invincible, Hiranyakashipu declares war on the gods, conquers their realms, including Heaven, and proclaims himself “God of the Universe.”
But the divine has its own mysterious ways. During Hiranyakashipu's absence, Lord Indra abducts his pregnant wife, Kayadhu. However, Sage Narada Muni intervenes as a guru and advises Indra to uphold dharma (righteous conduct), even in times of adversity. Narada then offers shelter to Kayadhu in his ashram and instructs her in the path of devotion to Vishnu, teachings which are absorbed by her unborn child Prahlada while still in the womb.
Five years later, Prahlada is a gentle and wise-hearted child who refuses to acknowledge his father as God. Instead, the boy remains deeply devoted to Vishnu, chanting His name with unwavering faith, to Hiranyakashipu's dismay. He orders Sanda and Amarka—Prahlada's teachers and Shukra's sons—to teach the boy better, but they fail to do so. Infuriated, the demon king sentences his son to death, but the attempt is utterly unsuccessful. The boy is then subsequently subjected to unimaginable torments, such as being crushed by mad elephants, having him pushed off from a cliff and much more. But Prahlada emerges unharmed each time, protected by the very force his father seeks to destroy.
Then Hiranyakashipu orders his sister Holika, who has power on fire, to sit on a burning pyre with the boy on her lap and held tightly as he is burned to the stake. However, Holika's boon, which was granted to her on the condition that she only uses it for self-defense, backfires as she is the one burned to death while Prahlada remains unscathed. Frustrated, Hiranyakashipu has him thrown into the ocean, only for Garuda and Varuna to save the child. When Varuna tells the boy that like him, Vishnu longs to meet him too, Prahlada, while not considering himself worthy of meeting Him being a demon, but feeling alone and scared, still calls out to Him tearfully in a moment of desperation. Surprising him, the Lord appears and tells him that He considers Himself a servant to true devotees like him, because he has won Him over with his selfless love. Pleased with his devotion, Vishnu grants him the boon that the boy shall perceive Him in every animate and inanimate object in the universe.
Upon returning home, Prahlada is mocked by his father, who sarcastically asks if Vishnu—who is omnipresent—is present within a nearby pillar. Prahlada affirms that He is. Enraged, Hiranyakashipu strikes the pillar, from which emerges Vishnu in the form of Narasimha, a terrifying avatar (divine incarnation) with the body of a man and the head and claws of a lion. A massive battle ensues, during which Narasimha slaughters many demons. The avatar ultimately defeats Hiranyakashipu and kills him through evisceration in a manner that circumvents Brahma's boon: at twilight (neither during day nor at night), on a threshold (neither indoors nor outdoors), on his lap (neither on earth nor in the sky), using his claws (neither weapon nor bare hands), and as Narasimha (neither man, god, beast, nor a creation of Brahma).
However, even after Hiranyakashipu's death, Narasimha remains absolutely furious and goes on a destructive rampage. Then Brahma requests Prahlada to pacify Narasimha's rage, which he does. The Lord embraces Prahlada, assuring him that his father's sins have been absolved through divine contact. He declares that from now on the boy will be counted as one of His greatest devotees and that whoever worships him will undoubtedly be worthy of His grace.
Surrounding devotees, along with the gods and demigods, including Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, gather in reverence to perform the "Narasimha Aarti", a devotional hymn praising the avatar for his fierce protection and boundless grace.
Afterwards, Narada lightheartedly reminds a relieved Indra that Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha were only the first of three births of Jaya-Vijaya in Satya Yuga, the cursed gatekeepers of Vaikuntha, who are destined to be reborn as enemies of Vishnu across two more yugas.
The project emerged from Kleem Productions to create a 3D animated epic rooted in Hindu history. Announced in mid‑2024, the film is described by director Ashwin Kumar as a "labor of love rooted in our collective history," drawing inspiration from the Vishnu Purana, Narasimha Purana, and Shrimad Bhagavat Purana. Hombale Films only presents the film.[1][27]
The production marked a strategic push to elevate Indian animation. Kumar emphasized their goal to challenge the notion that animation is only for children, asserting that the film proves "Indian VFX and animation can be of world‑class quality."[28] The animation process spanned roughly four and a half years, with meticulous attention to photorealism.[29]
The film score and soundtrack album of the film are composed by Sam C. S. in his first collaboration with Ashwin Kumar. The audio rights for the Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam versions were acquired by Think Music, while the Hindi version was acquired by Ishtar Music.[30][31][32]
Incorporation of historical sites and Hindu scriptures
In an interview[33] published on the official channel of Hombale Films, director Ashwin Kumar discussed his personal visit to Raktkund at Ahobila Matha and elaborated on how the film incorporates various historical and scriptural references —most notably archaeological sites such as the Ahobila Nava Narasimha Swamy temples, the restored Yog-Narasimha shrine in Hampi—previously damaged by fire[34]—and the probable ruins of the Prahladpuri Temple in Multan and sacred texts like the Vishnu Purana, Varaha Purana, Narasimha Purana, Padma Purana, and the Bhagavata Purana—to shape the narrative similar to trend shown in the film Ram Setu. The challenges of uncovering unbroken historical evidence should be noted due to continuous human habitation over centuries, which alters or erases ancient traces. Individuals and institutions consulted during the making of the film are acknowledged in the opening and closing credits, and are therefore not cited individually here. The audience's connection and the films' success stem from the writer's unwavering adherence to sacred scriptures.
The film was initially scheduled for release in theatres on 3 April 2025, but was postponed and released on 25 July 2025.[37] It was theatrically released in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam languages.[38] The theatrical version had a runtime of 131 minutes, 10 minutes less than the Film Festival version.
Marketing
A motion poster of the film was released on 16 November 2024.[39] A teaser trailer of the film was released on 14 January 2025, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.[40] The trailer of the film was released on 9 July 2025.[41]
The overseas distribution rights in North America were bought by Prathyangira Cinemas.[47] The distribution rights in Middle East were acquired by Phars Film Co.[48] The Australia and New Zealand distribution rights were sold to Tolly Movies International.[49] The theatrical rights in United Kingdom were sold to Dreamz Entertainment.[50] The distribution rights in Singapore and Sri Lanka were acquired by Home Screen Entertainment.[51][52] The Malaysia distribution rights were acquired by DMY Creation.[53] The distribution rights in Europe were bought by 4 Seasons Creations.[54]
Home media
On 13 September 2025, a deleted scene was released on YouTube.[55] The film began streaming on Netflix from 19 September 2025.[56] According to Netflix, the film's original language is Hindi and has dubbed audios available along with Hindi video stream.[57]
Reception
Box office
Mahavatar Narsimha collected ₹2.29 crores on its opening day.[58] In its first week, the film grossed ₹53 crores, including ₹32.82 crores from the Hindi version.[59][60] The net collection across India amounted to ₹43.50 crores.[61] On the eighth day, the collections reached ₹62 crores worldwide, including ₹38 crores from the Hindi version and ₹13 crores from the Telugu version.[62][63]
The film earned ₹171 crore nett by third weekend and crossed ₹200 crore globally.[64][65] In its final run, Hindi version accounted for ₹188 crore, Kannada version ₹9.87 crore, Telugu version ₹49.14 crore ans Tamil version ₹2.91 crore net collections in India.[66][67]
The film grossed over ₹300–325 crore in its final theatrical run.[b]
Critical response
Ahana Tiwari of Zee News gave 4/5 stars and wrote, "In the end, Mahavatar Narsimha might be far from perfect, yet standing as a quietly confident and emotionally effective film that successfully delivers a deeply moving and devotional cinematic experience. While not without its flaws, it more than compensates with its heart, message, and the sheer sincerity of its storytelling".[68] Anurag Singh Bohra of India Today rated the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Overall, the film makes for a compelling watch for its emotional relatability and stunning depiction of Narsimha in the goosebump-inducing climax".[69] Susmita Sameera of The Times of India rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "Mahavatar Narsimha is made with sincerity and ambition. As a first attempt, it lays the groundwork for a promising future in Indian animated devotional cinema. It is certainly worth experiencing in theatres—for both its pioneering effort and its visual ambition".[70] Bhawna Arya of Times Now gave 3/5 stars and wrote, "To sum it up, Mahavatar Narsimha by Hombale is an animated film that beautifully and eloquently celebrates the fierceness of Vishnu's incarnation with breathtaking artistry and heartfelt storytelling".[71] Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost gave 3/5 stars and wrote, "In the time of larger-than-life action spectacles and rom-coms, experiencing a movie like Mahavatar Narsimha definitely evokes different kinds of positive and holistic emotions".[72] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "The climax is world-class, even if ultra-violent, with body parts and blood flowing generously. Trigger warning for small kids. And yourself, if you are faint-hearted. But hey, demons being torn to pieces feels as if justice has been done: our gods really know how to do the Avengers thing".[73]
Future
Future timeline
In June 2025, the makers announced plans to expand Mahavatar Narsimha into a larger animated franchise, Mahavatar Cinematic Universe based on the avatars of Vishnu. Director Ashwin Kumar and Kleem Productions, in association with Hombale Films, revealed a 12-year plan to adapt the Dashavatar in an interconnected series of 3D-animated films.[74][75][76][77]
The Universe is planned to release new instalments every two years, from 2025 to 2037, reimagining each avatar with modern cinematic storytelling for global audiences. While Mahavatar Narsimha serves as the launch, future entries will follow the remaining avatars in chronological order.[78][79][80][81]
As of July 2025, seven films have been announced in the Mahavatar Cinematic Universe. The franchise begins with Narasimha and ends with a two-part finale on Kalki. Each film is based on a different avatar of Vishnu, either individually or thematically.[74][75][76][77]
↑ There is no clear evidence of primary language. The film's main languages are deemed to be Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu according to the Indian film censorship body.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
