EXPLOITS OF AN UNDERDOG AVENGER
Dev Patel’s directorial debut is a genre-busting action thriller about marginalisation and social injustice in a society dominated by sinister elites
Oscar-nominee Dev Patel, who first gained fame for his roles in critically acclaimed films Lion and Slumdog Millionaire, makes his directorial debut with an action thriller about a man’s quest for vengeance against corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and systemically victimise the poor and powerless.
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, a Hindu deity embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous man eking out a meagre living in an underground fight club where night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he’s beaten to a pulp by more popular fighters for cash.
After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the city’s sinister elite. His childhood trauma boils over and his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution.
What inspired ‘Monkey Man’?
Dev Patel: The story had been living inside me for a long time. Like a snowball rolling down a mountain, the idea kept growing. It became a way to blend my love for action cinema — everything from Bruce Lee films to great Indonesian action and Korean revenge movies — with the mythology my grandfather taught me growing up. I wanted to infuse culture, weight, context and trauma into the genre.
Who is this character?
DP: Kid is an anonymous underdog who doesn’t have a grasp on his emotions and is grappling with [PTSD]. When we meet him, he’s literally a performing monkey in an underground fighting ring at the bottom of society. Later, he infiltrates this members-only club to work his way up and challenge an untouchable man-made god of society.
What quest is he on?
DP: He’s on a quest for retribution, which evolves as he’s taken in by a Hijra community, whose members share his feelings of fear and trauma. They instil in him the philosophical strength to turn his trauma into a positive thing and make him look at his scars, not as wounds, but as the signs of a warrior. One of the film’s messages is that pain leaves you once it’s finished teaching you. This guy is put through everything as he fights injustice with this band of outsiders. Luckily, he meets unexpected allies along the way, from a restaurant hustler, Alfonso, with his tricked-out auto rickshaw, to this clan of Hijras who’ve been swept to the outskirts of society and a young working girl trying to break free from her oppressors. They represent the lower class in this story about the caste system and challenging the elite. Monkey Man is an anthem for the underdog.
Does the elitist club he infiltrates, known as Kings Club, represent that class system?
Yes. My character starts working in the kitchen serving dishes to the elite until he gets to the next level, where he’s in the Land of Kings. He advances to the layer above that, to the man-made gods — the untouchables. He must challenge those men too.
How did you get this film made?
We started in India, location scouting in one of the biggest slums in Mumbai, but we got grounded by the Covid pandemic. I caught the last flight out. It was a catastrophe for the film, but we managed to find a glimmer of hope in Indonesia and resurrected the production there. We had a strong plan and pivoted constantly, because we were facing insane challenges on a daily basis. Luckily, we had a wonderful crew — the spirit around the film was amazing.
Do you think people will be surprised that you wrote, produced, directed and starred in the movie?
People might be surprised when they see me drenched in blood, plunging a knife into someone’s neck with my teeth! Regarding the filmmaking, I must mention Danny Boyle, who changed my life, plucking me from obscurity. Working with David Lowery on The Green Knight helped me set the tone in spiritual grounded philosophy. Garth Davis changed my life with his film Lion. I have to tip my hat to many filmmakers: Park Chan-wook, John Woo, Tarantino ...
What did it mean for you to be able team up with filmmaker Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw production company?
It was a Cinderella moment. I’d prepared myself to say goodbye to the movie. I thought the film wouldn’t see the light of day. But out of the blue I got a call from my agent asking me if I’d ever heard of Jordan Peele? I said, “Of course”, and I phoned him that night. It was one of the most amazing calls of my life. Jordan what the film was about thematically, and how I was trying to push the envelope of the genre. He loved the action and the entertainment value of the sequences. He lifted the project up and gave us a second life. Universal followed.
Tell us about the fights and chases?
Within the philosophical aspects of the story, I wanted to hit the action. The script was detailed in those sequences, and I spent a lot of time with the stunt team. My character is a caged, cornered animal; his fights are primal, and he bites and spits, so the choreography was intense. I wanted the fights to be jagged and visceral, close to what I was feeling as an actor. I broke a few toes and my hand in the first action sequence, but we carried on filming. It was painful — we had to change the choreography at the last minute to be onehanded.
The scene where you train to Indian music is powerful and beautiful at the same time.
That training montage was my tip to films such as Rocky. Music is big in Indian culture, and I wanted my character to train to a maestro who played the tabla ferociously. As I’m punching bags, he’s tearing up the drums — we have this wordless training scene where he speaks to me through his instrument.
How did you manage to get into such great shape?
I didn’t want to create an action hero bursting out of his suit. I wanted to get as close to a shredded Bruce Lee as possible. I ate sweet potato and salmon three times a day for months — while the crew was having delicious Indonesian food! I’d wake up early in the morning to work on action choreography using resistance bands to look like a more authentic underdog Avenger.
What separates ‘Monkey Man from other action films?
I injected the story with beautiful, textural and philosophical aspects of my culture. It’s an ode to my parents and my ancestry. It’s about roots — it’s primal and heartfelt.