Slumdog Millionaire star and Oscar nominee, Dev Patel makes his directing debut with MONKEY MAN, a film about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to target the poor and powerless.
I asked the rather slim star of the ★★★★★ action-thriller of year, how we bulked up for the bad ass role...
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, MONKEY MAN stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meagre living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash.
After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Packed with thrilling and spectacular fight and chase scenes, MONKEY MAN is directed by Dev Patel from his original story and his screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee (Hotel Mumbai, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World).
The film’s international cast includes Sharlto Copley (District 9), Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm), Vipin Sharma (Hotel Mumbai), Sikandar Kher (Aarya), Adithi Kalkunte (Hotel Mumbai), Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven), Ashwini Kalsekar (Ek Tha Hero), Makarand Deshpande (RRR), Jatin Malik in his film debut, and Zakir Hussain (Duranga).
MONKEY MAN is produced by Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas p.g.a. (Hotel Mumbai, The Man Who Knew Infinity), Oscar winner Jordan Peele (Nope, Get Out), Win Rosenfeld (Candyman, Hunters series), Ian Cooper (Nope, Us), Basil Iwanyk (John Wick franchise, Sicario films) and Erica Lee p.g.a. (John Wick franchise, Silent Night), Christine Haebler (Shut In, Bones of Crows), Sam Sahni (associate producer The Wedding Guest, executive producer To Kill a Tiger) and Anjay Nagpal (executive producer of Bombshell, Greyhound).
