After ‘Hanuman Ansh’, another mystic saint heads to the big screen with ‘Machan Baba’

British entrepreneur Poonam Gupta OBE and US-based entrepreneur Vikalp Paliwal join hands for a film inspired by the enigmatic life of Deoraha Baba

New Delhi, October 12 : The success of Hanuman Ansh, inspired by the spiritual legacy of Neeb Karori Baba, appears to have opened a wider cinematic space for stories rooted in India’s saint traditions. Now, another enigmatic spiritual figure is set to make his way to the big screen — Devraha Baba, whose life has remained surrounded by faith, folklore and unanswered questions for decades.

Titled ‘Machan Baba’, the film has been announced by Ojas Films and is planned for release in 2027. Its title poster has also been unveiled.

The film is being produced by Poonam Gupta OBE, the British-Indian entrepreneur popularly known as the “Paper Queen”, and Vikalp Paliwal, a Lucknow-born entrepreneur currently based in Austin, Texas.

Gupta, who has built a successful business career in the UK, is entering film production with a subject deeply connected to India’s spiritual and cultural traditions. Paliwal, an IT entrepreneur and real estate developer in the United States, joins the project as co-producer.

Interestingly, Machan Baba also has an indirect connection with Hanuman Ansh.

Neeb Karori Baba and Devraha Baba belonged broadly to the same spiritual era. Research being undertaken for Machan Baba, including devotee accounts and oral recollections, refers to meetings between the two saints and suggests that Neem Karoli Baba held Deoraha Baba in high regard.

For the makers, however, Machan Baba is not intended to follow the same narrative path as a conventional devotional film.

Devraha Baba was known for living on an elevated wooden platform — or machan — often near riverbanks, from where he met devotees. His age has remained one of the enduring mysteries around his life, with vastly differing claims appearing in books, memoirs and popular accounts.

His visitors reportedly ranged from ordinary villagers and spiritual seekers to some of India’s most prominent political personalities. His interactions with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi are among the most widely discussed episodes associated with him.

Producer Poonam Gupta OBE said the mystery surrounding Deoraha Baba was one of the reasons the subject drew her to the project.

“The more we read about Deoraha Baba and speak to people connected with his world, the more layers emerge. There is spirituality, history, human emotion, encounters with some of the most important personalities of the country, and at the same time, there are questions that remain unanswered even today. We want to approach his life with respect, sensitivity and serious research rather than reduce it to a series of miracles,” Gupta said.

Co-producer Vikalp Paliwal believes the story has the potential to travel beyond India.

“The story is deeply Indian, but its themes are universal — faith, mystery, human curiosity and the search for something beyond the visible. Our aim is to retain its cultural authenticity while telling it through a cinematic language that can connect with audiences internationally,” Paliwal said.

The film is being developed under Ojas Films, the film and content arm of Ojas Softech, the technology company behind AstroSage AI.

The film is currently in the research and pre-production stage. The team is studying books, photographs, archival references, old documents, eyewitness accounts and recollections of people and families connected with Deoraha Baba.

According to the makers, the film will explore the space where history, faith, politics and mystery intersect, rather than treating the saint’s life merely as a collection of supernatural stories.

‘Machan Baba’ is scheduled for release in 2027.