Dev Patel Opens Up About Trans Representation In Monkey Man, Says 'An Anthem For...'

Dev Patel is gearing up for the release of his movie Monkey Man, which also marks his debut as a director. The British actor has been on a promotional spree and spoke about different aspects of his film. Now, in a recent interview,  the actor opened up about the representation of the "hijra" community in Monkey Man. He shared that it serves as an "anthem for the underdog voiceless and marginalised".

Dev Patel on trans representation in Money Man

In an interview with Variety, Dev opened up about the references taken for the upcoming film and said "I wanted to take this old mythology and take these characters, who I thought was the hero - Hanuman - who had lost faith in himself, he needed to be reminded by fellow outsiders of who he was. And together they waged this war for the good and the just."

Opening up about the inclusion of the trans community in the movie, the actor said that he wanted to include the Hijra community, the third gender in India. "This is at its core revenge. And we should be fighting for each other, not against each other. That's what it should do at its best," he added.

He continued that he has become rigid over time. When ke look at the carvings in temples in India, sexuality, freedom, and philosophy was ahead of their time. So he wanted to dive into it and make the "lore of the film".

What do we know about Money Man?

Apart from Dev Patel, the film also stars Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sikandar Kher, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, and Makarand Deshpande. It revolves around an anonymous young man, who unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless. The film is slated to hit the theatres on April 5.