Dev Patel Confesses Being ‘Ashamed’ Of His Indian Heritage In School: It’s Not The Coolest

Dev Patel has made his directorial debut with the recent movie Monkey Man. The film was released worldwide on April 5 but is awaiting censor clearance for release in India. It also marks the Hollywood debut of actress Sobhita Dhulipala. During a recent talk show appearance, the British actor opened up about his Indian roots and how he looked down on his heritage in his formative years, a mistake he wishes to rectify now. 

Dev Patel on being ashamed of Indian roots

On his recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Dev Patel remembered the time he was in school and admitted to being ‘ashamed’ of having Indian roots. For the unversed, Dev Patel was born to Indian Gujurati parents who settled in England as immigrants. In the interview, the Slumdog Millionaire fame confessed that by making a film like Monkey Man he attempted to fix his mistakes. 

Dev said on the show, “There was a time when I was ashamed of the Indian part of my heritage. When you're in school in Greater London, it's not the coolest. I'm trying what I can to not show that part, going into films like Slumdog Millionaire and doing all these kinds of movies.” He argued that he consciously chose to show off his Indian culture in his first directorial. He added, “ I realised actually that with the first movie, I'm going to direct, I'm not going to double down, I'm going to triple down on culture.” 

Dev Patel says Bollywood has influenced Monkey Man 

In the same show, Dev Patel shared that he has incorporated parts of his childhood in the upcoming film. He shared that he grew up watching Bollywood and Bruce Lee which will be reflected in his directorial debut. He shared, “I grew up watching Bollywood and Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Carrey and Jackie Chan. It's all in there (in Monkey Man). It's the cocktail that makes me.” 

Monkey Man is inspired by the legend of Hanuman — a Hindu deity revered for his strength, loyalty and courage. According to AP News, Patel said that he saw a lot of parallels between Hindu mythology and the iconography of the superheroes that we know of today, like Superman. The film centres on a character named Kid — played by Patel — who makes a living working in an underground fight club and who later seeks to avenge his mother’s horrific death by infiltrating the elite class of a Mumbai-like city.