Suneel Lodhi, a 25-year-old visually impaired singer from Bundelkhand, rose from singing bhajans on local trains to Bollywood. His 29M-view bhajan caught filmmaker Pankaj VRK’s attention. After recording nearly eight songs in Mumbai, his track “Maine Tere Hi Bharose” featured in Hanuman Ansh, released on August 7. His voice now reaches audiences nationwide.
A Childhood With Music
For Lodhi, music was not a sudden career choice but something that became part of his life during childhood. He has recalled beginning to sing when he was around 10 or 11 and accompanying himself on the tambura. Over the years, he developed a repertoire of Bundeli folk songs and devotional bhajans, performing in villages and on local trains while supporting his family. His music remained closely connected to the culture and traditions of Bundelkhand.
The first major step towards a wider audience came through Bundeli Duniya, a social media page and YouTube platform where Lodhi recorded and shared his songs. Lodhi himself has said that this was where his Bundeli songs first began getting noticed. One of his earlier songs, “Dula Ban Ke Aa Gai”, had already crossed lakhs of views. But his traditional Hanuman bhajan “More Sankat Ke Kataiya” would change the course of his musical journey.
The Viral Turning Point
“More Sankat Ke Kataiya” was recorded simply, with Lodhi singing and playing the tambura. Its unpolished, earthy quality caught the attention of Pankaj VRK, a filmmaker and music producer who had been working on YouTube. Pankaj said he liked the way the bhajan sounded in Lodhi’s voice and wanted to contact him.
Finding the singer was not straightforward. Pankaj said he searched “here and there” for Lodhi’s contact number before eventually reaching him. Lodhi then travelled to Indore for the first time, before his journey continued to Mumbai.
The bhajan subsequently became a major online hit, crossing 29 million views. What had begun as a regional performance was now reaching listeners far beyond Bundelkhand. The viral success also brought Lodhi to the attention of music producers and helped open a door into the mainstream music industry.
Mumbai Changed Everything
Following the success of the viral bhajan, Pankaj helped Lodhi reach Sai Baba Studio in Mumbai. There, Lodhi recorded nearly eight songs. “Maine Tere Hi Bharose” was the first of those recordings to be released.
The song retained Lodhi’s connection with devotional music. He has described the recording process as straightforward: he sang while playing the tambura, recorded his vocals and returned. What he did not know at the time was that the song would eventually be part of a film.
Lodhi later explained that both “More Sankat Ke Kataiya” and “Maine Tere Hi Bharose” are rooted in traditional devotional singing, a form he has practised for years. The latter became part of Hanuman Ansh, directed by Vishal Chaturvedi and inspired by the life and spiritual journey of Neem Karoli Baba, whose devotion to Lord Hanuman forms a central part of the film.
From Song To Cinema
Hanuman Ansh released in theatres on August 7 and initially opened quietly. However, the film gradually found an audience and went on to become an unexpected box-office success. Recent reports have put its domestic earnings at more than Rs 40 crore, with the latest figures indicating that it has crossed Rs 45 crore. The film’s strong performance marks a significant turnaround from its modest opening and has helped bring greater attention to the voices and devotional music associated with it.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Suneel Lodhi’s journey is not simply a story about a viral song or a Bollywood breakthrough. It is about what can happen when a voice that has long existed outside the mainstream is finally given the opportunity to travel further. From villages and local trains in Bundelkhand to a Mumbai recording studio and a Hindi film soundtrack, Lodhi’s journey shows why regional art and folk traditions deserve platforms that allow them to reach wider audiences without losing their roots.
It is equally important that stories about artists with disabilities do not reduce them to their limitations. Lodhi’s visual impairment is one part of his story, but his years of practice, his musical identity and the distinctive sound he brings to devotional and Bundeli music are what ultimately deserve attention.
As his voice reaches more listeners, the larger question remains: how many talented artists across India are still waiting for someone to hear them?
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