From 500 Jingles To ‘Hanuman Ansh’: Dhirendra Mulkalwar On His 20-Year Music Journey

For composer Dhirendra Mulkalwar, Hanuman Ansh is more than a film credit. After nearly two decades of working behind the scenes, the project has given him his first solo music-director credit and brought his devotional composition ‘Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai’ into the spotlight.

Mulkalwar has been part of the music industry since 2008, working across advertising, jingles, documentaries and films. Over the years, he has composed nearly 500 jingles and contributed as a music producer to films including Uri: The Surgical Strike, Article 15 and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. His short-film work also took him to the Cannes Film Festival.

With Hanuman Ansh, however, Mulkalwar moved from contributing to projects to independently leading the film’s music. He composed the film’s background score as well as ‘Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai’, a devotional track that brings together Ram and Hanuman bhakti.

The song features vocals by Shantanu Sudame and Mulkalwar, with lyrics by Sudame and music composed by Mulkalwar. It was released by Times Music Spiritual.

A project rooted in personal faith

The film, directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, is based on the spiritual life and journey of Neem Karoli Baba. For Mulkalwar, the subject carried a personal connection, as he has followed and believed in Neem Karoli Baba for years.

According to Mulkalwar, the timing of the opportunity felt significant. After trying for several years to visit Kainchi Dham, he finally made the trip last year. A few months later, Chaturvedi approached him for Hanuman Ansh. Neither initially knew about the other's connection with Neem Karoli Baba.

Mulkalwar has described receiving the film as a deeply meaningful moment, particularly because of the years he had spent waiting for an opportunity to independently score a feature film.

From jingles to a feature-film score

His journey reflects the less visible side of a composer’s career, where years of commercial and production work can precede a major screen breakthrough.

Mulkalwar’s advertising work, including hundreds of jingles, gave him extensive experience across formats, while his film-production credits allowed him to work within larger cinematic soundscapes. His Cannes-screened short-film work further added to that journey.

For Hanuman Ansh, he had to build a musical language around a spiritual narrative while retaining a cinematic scale. The composer has said the project demanded sensitivity in developing its sonic palette, given the subject and the faith associated with it.

‘Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai’ becomes a key musical moment

The devotional track sits at the intersection of Ram bhakti and Hanuman devotion, with recurring chants of ‘Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai’ and ‘Sita Ram’. The song’s structure combines traditional devotional sentiment with a contemporary film-music presentation.

For Mulkalwar, the song and the film represent the culmination of a journey that began almost 20 years ago in Mumbai.

What makes the breakthrough significant is not simply the visibility of a new song, but the transition from years of supporting and creating music across projects to finally seeing his name credited as the music director of a feature film.

Hanuman Ansh, therefore, marks a new chapter for Mulkalwar, one where years of composing, producing and working behind the scenes have finally translated into a solo feature-film credit.