On how he got the role as Neem Karoli Baba (left), Colonel Hunny Bakshi (retd) (right) says he had approached Vishal Chaturvedi, the director of Hanuman Ansh, with a script, asking him for guidance on it. (Express photo)The phenomenal box office success of the film Hanuman Ansh is nothing short of a “chamatkar (miracle)”, says Colonel Hunny Bakshi (retd).He should know.The former Military Intelligence officer who once headed a controversial Army unit and faced a general court martial, plays the role in the film of none other than Neem Karoli Baba, on whose life Hanuman Ansh is based.While it is a cameo, Bakshi, who is based in Dehradun, tells The Indian Express: “This movie is about the youth and childhood of Babaji. It is a trilogy. In the second part, I have been told, I will have a major role.”Explaining his role, Bakshi says Hanuman Ansh starts with Neem Karoli Baba, the well-known religious guru, having already acquired his “powers”. “I (as the Baba) meet Dr Bhonsle, who was the doctor of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The story starts with me telling Bhonsle that he had not been able to save Nehru. It is just a couple of minutes on screen. The rest of the movie is in flashback.”Must Read | ‘She cried each time’: Neem Karoli Baba’s daughter watched Hanuman Ansh more than onceBakshi adds: “I strongly believe that the film becoming a hit is a chamatkar. I held ‘bhandaras (feasts)’ to publicise the movie. I told people known to me to watch it thinking it would leave movie halls in two weeks. But it became a roaring success!” Colonel Hunny Bakshi (retd)., 61, was commissioned in the MI in 1988 while he was a cadet at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. (Special arrangement)On how he got the role, Bakshi says he had approached Vishal Chaturvedi, the director of Hanuman Ansh, with a script, asking him for guidance on it. “Vishal had planned the movie by then, and he saw I had a lot of resemblance to Baba ji. He asked me to do the role with a rider to abstain from non-veg and alcohol till the movie was released.”Bakshi, 61, was commissioned in the MI in 1988 while he was a cadet at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He commanded an MI unit in Kolkata from 2007 to 2010, and was then handpicked by serving Chief of Army Staff Gen V K Singh to head a special unit called the Technical Support Division (TSD).Story continues below this adAlso Read | Looking for Neem Karoli Baba: How a 20th century guru found a new generationAfter Gen V K Singh retired in May 2012, the unit faced a series of inquiries, with Bakshi himself facing charges. In particular, Bakshi’s unit was accused of eavesdropping on politicians’ phones, going right to the top.In 2015, Bakshi was attached to face court martial at an armoured brigade in Nabha in Punjab. In March, all proceedings against Bakshi were dropped on his plea citing legal infirmities in the Court of Inquiry against him and arguing that he had not been provided documents crucial to his defence.Bakshi says he spends his time writing scripts for web series now. After Hanuman Ansh’s success, he adds, “Everybody has been calling me up and congratulating me, from the General to sepoys.”