Dev Patel is gearing up for the release of his debut film as a director with 2024’s Monkey Man. The actor has been proving his mettle over several films in his career. From Slumdog Millionaire, Hotel Mumbai, and Lion, he has been in some of the acclaimed films and is now venturing into a new step in his filmmaking career as a writer-director.
Monkey Man recently premiered at SXSW, where Patel, Jordan Peele, and the rest of the cast were in attendance. At the screening, Patel recalled the tough production process and the hurdles he had to fight through to get the film made. The film also featured familiar territory with Slumdog Millionaire regarding its setting.
Like Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel Shot Monkey Man in The Slums of Mumbai
Dev Patel’s Monkey Man was shot in 2021 and was supposed to be released on Netflix. However, some problems and issues regarding its production work led to delays. Director Jordan Peele recently acquired the film, and Universal is now releasing it theatrically. The film recently held its first premiere at SXSW.
At the event, Patel talked about how the production was incredibly challenging. He revealed that he broke his hand and foot during filming. The film was shot during the pandemic in the slums of Mumbai, which is a familiar retread for the actor, who shot his multi-Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire in the same setting.
He further pointed out that the production got shut down numerous times. However, he managed to make the film by any means possible, even shooting some scenes on his iPhone. He said (via Instagram)
“I mean it was an incredibly schizophrenic process, you know. I broke my hand, my foot, I tore my shoulder, everything that could have possibly gone wrong during the making of this film did go wrong. We were in the beginning of the pandemic, I was in the biggest slum in India and the production went down. It kept going down and we found a way to pivot constantly to make this film. I’ve shot some parts of it on my iPhone… It’s really been a humbling experience.”
Patel seems to have put his heart and soul into his film and making sure that his directorial debut turns out great. The film reportedly received a standing ovation at SXSW, and audiences were blown away by the actor’s turn as revenge-fueled action hero. Critic reviews have also started to come out, and they can’t stop raving about Patel’s great debut as a director.
Dev Patel Wanted to Change The Outlook of Action Films With Monkey Man
Dev Patel‘s directorial debut Monkey Man presents the actor in a new avatar as a bloodthirsty action hero fueled by revenge. Patel’s film is inspired by the legend of Hanuman, and with his directorial debut, he wanted to change people’s negative connotations regarding action films. He infused enough nuance, drama, and emotion to elevate the film from an average actioner.
He told the audience at the SXSW premiere of the film that the action genre has mostly been looked down upon by the industry. With Monkey Man, he put real trauma, soul, and important socio-cultural commentary that he hopes people will enjoy and relate to. He said (via Deadline),
“I think the action genre has sometimes been abused by the system. I wanted to give it real soul, real trauma, real pain, and you guys deserve that. And I wanted to infuse it with a little bit of culture.”
The film has received glowing reviews following its premiere and currently has an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews. In addition to Patel, the film also stars Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sikandar Kher, Vipin Sharma, and Ashwini Kalsekar. Monkey Man is set to hit theaters worldwide on April 5, 2024.
