Who is Suneel Lodhi? Soulful voice of song ‘Maine Tere Hi Bharose Hanuman’ from movie Neem Karoli Baba Hanuman Ansh | Today’s news
“Whose face did we see this early in the morning?” Suneel Lodhi, the voice behind the popular number ‘Main Tere Hi Bharose Hanuman’, recalled how he was discriminated against in his village. In an interview with ThePrint, the singer shared that being blind was stigmatized for years in his village in Bundelkhand.
“When I went out in the morning, people didn’t look at me. Many times I heard them startle, ‘Whose face did we see that early in the morning?'” the publication quoted the 25-year-old as saying.
However, the visually impaired folk singer ignored the villagers and continued to pursue his passion for singing Bundeli bhajans and folk songs. Little did he know that his rendition would one day make it to Bollywood.
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Suneel Lodhi’s Musical Journey
An ardent admirer of Lata Mangeshkar, Lodhi told Doordarshan that he never received formal training or had a musical coach.
Despite his visual impairment, he continued to sing traditional Bundeli folk songs in local trains from the age of 10 to 11. “I was singing on the tambourine,” said Lodhi, according to Hindustan Times (HT).
How Bundeli Duniya changed his career
Long before social media became a major platform for artists, Suneel Lodhi had already built a collection of Bundeli folk songs and traditional bhajans. His work later found a wider audience through Bundeli Duniya, a social media site and YouTube channel that helped bring his music into the limelight.
Lodhi said he didn’t realize at first how far his performance had gone online.
“I sang songs for the Bundeli Duniya site. That’s where my Bundeli songs got noticed,” he told HT.
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Lodhi first gained attention with songs like “Dula Ban Ke Aa Gai”, which attracted thousands of views online. However, his biggest breakthrough came with the traditional Hanuman bhajan “More Sankat Ke Kataiya”. The song crossed the 29 million views mark and drew widespread attention to Lodhi’s distinctive voice.
Calling from Mumbai
Filmmaker and music producer Pankaj VRK was among those who came across Lodhi’s rendition. Pankaj was working on YouTube content at the time when he heard “More Sankat Ke Kataiya” and was impressed by the singer’s raw, earthy voice.
He soon contacted Lodhi and invited him to Mumbai. The singer later recorded eight songs at Sai Baba Studio in the city.
One of these recordings, “Maine Tere Hi Bharose”, became another major milestone in Lodhi’s journey. However, at the time of recording, Lodhi had no idea that the song would end up appearing in the film.
He simply performed the song in his usual style, accompanying himself on the tambourine.
Hanuman Ansh, a devotional film reportedly made on a budget ₹2 crore, directed by Vishal Chaturvedi and is inspired by the life of spiritual teacher Neem Karoli Baba.
Set in 20th century India, the film follows Lakshman Das from his childhood and spiritual awakening to his transformation into the man who became known as Neem Karoli Baba. His devotion to Lord Hanuman and the teachings of love, compassion and selfless service form the heart of the story.