Meet Colonel Hunny Bakshi: Indian Army Officer Who Played Neem Karoli Baba in ‘Hanuman Ansh’

Colonel Hunny Bakshi, the retired Military Intelligence officer who once commanded one of the Indian Army’s most secretive units, has now appeared on screen as Neem Karoli Baba in the 2026 biographical film Hanuman Ansh. The cameo has drawn attention precisely because of the contrast between his earlier career and the spiritual role.

The film, written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, was released in India on 7 August 2026. Made on a modest budget of approximately ₹1.8–2 crore, it has become one of the year’s most commercially successful Hindi releases, crossing ₹350 crore worldwide by late September and continuing to hold screens in its seventh week. Shobhinaw Satyaa plays the younger Neem Karoli Baba; Bakshi appears as the older Maharaj Ji in a brief framing sequence.

Military career and the TSD

Munishwar Nath Bakshi, known throughout his service as Hunny Bakshi, was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in December 1988 from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He later commanded an MI unit in Kolkata from 2007 to 2010. In 2010, then Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh selected him to raise and lead the Technical Support Division (TSD), an ad hoc covert unit created after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The unit operated from Delhi Cantonment and focused on technical surveillance, asset cultivation, and deniable operations. It was disbanded in 2012 after General Singh’s retirement.

Bakshi has described service in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, including work connected with Naga ceasefire arrangements and IED networks. He has stated that he survived three IED attacks. He is a recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal. After TSD was closed he received a posting as quartermaster in Ladakh and later served in Bengaluru. Multiple inquiries followed. Allegations included unauthorised interception, mishandling of classified material, and politically sensitive activity. A General Court Martial was convened; proceedings were dropped in March 2018 on a plea in bar citing procedural defects and non-supply of documents. He took premature retirement on 5 November 2019. His wife, Aparna Bakshi, publicly described the years of inquiry as professionally and personally damaging to the family.

From intelligence officer to screen

After leaving the Army, Bakshi settled in Dehradun and began writing scripts for web series. He approached Vishal Chaturvedi with one of those scripts, seeking guidance. Chaturvedi, who had already planned Hanuman Ansh, noted a physical resemblance to Neem Karoli Baba and offered him the role of the older Baba. Bakshi accepted on the condition that he abstain from non-vegetarian food and alcohol until the film’s release. His screen time is short: the film opens with Maharaj Ji meeting Dr. Ram Nandan Bhosale (played by Chandan Anand), the physician associated with Jawaharlal Nehru, after which the narrative moves into flashback. Bakshi has said he expects a larger part in the planned second film of the trilogy.

He organised bhandaras to publicise the film and has described its box-office performance as a “chamatkar.” The picture opened quietly, then built through word of mouth. By Day 47 it had collected more than ₹366 crore worldwide. Bakshi has received messages of congratulations from serving and retired soldiers of all ranks.

Public voice after service

Since retirement Bakshi has appeared frequently in long-form interviews on national security. He has discussed Kashmir operations, the circumstances surrounding TSD, Agniveer, Khalistan, the Manipur conflict, and domestic radicalisation. In November 2025 he spoke at an ANI National Security Summit on “the enemy within.” He maintains an active presence on X under @ColHunnyBakshi. The film role has not replaced that commentary; it has simply added an unexpected public dimension to a career that was, for most of its duration, conducted out of public view.

The casting is unusual: a former commander of a covert intelligence unit appearing as a widely revered saint. Bakshi himself has treated it as an unplanned chapter rather than a career change. He continues to write and has indicated that further work on the Hanuman Ansh trilogy remains possible.