Movies

Mahabali Hanuman (1981) I have always loved fantasy, religious and fairy tale movies and this combines the best of them all. This bright colorful and elaborate fantasy movie is every bit as remarkable as the European and Russian fairy tale films I love, while being a tale of devotion and the moral development of the protagonist. Hanuman is born as a boon granted to his barren mother through her unceasing prayers, he is granted great powers by all the gods, and he becomes the most dedicated of devotees. This is the Hindu movie I have always wanted to see - I grew up wishing that the dreary religious movies about people wandering through the desert in robes had something more fantastical and inspiring to them. If I had seen something like this as a child I would have become a sincere Hindu at that moment, and it certainly restored my love for Hinduism's wonderful pantheon. Bright colors and moving shapes, song and dance numbers, magical transformations, elaborate yet slightly cheesy spectacle, and edifying moral lessons all in one. 10/10

Shiva grants Anjana the boon of a son.

The gods bestow upon Hanuman many powers.

Hanuman manifests the Vishnu Avatars.

Rama and Sita are always in his heart.