Dev Patel Draws Parallels Between Hindu Mythology, Lord Hanuman And Directorial Debut Monkey Man

Dev Patel's directorial debut Monkey Man, released worldwide but awaits censor clearance in India, and has been drawing good reviews. The actor-turned-director shared that his action film is inspired by Hindu mythology and the legend of Lord Hanuman. Patel shared that he first pitched Monkey Man as a revenge film about faith. The movie is set in Mumbai, but Patel shared that the themes explored in the film are universal.

Dev Patel draws parallels between Hindu mythology and Monkey Man

Monkey Man was 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.

Dev Patel broke his bones while shooting Monkey Man

Dev Patel shared that his directorial debut was beset with challenges during production, including the coronavirus pandemic-driven shutdown, limited crew members and a series of physical injuries.

“I broke my hand, I broke my foot, I tore my shoulder. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong in the making of this film did go wrong,” he told reporters at SXSW. “And it’s really been a humbling experience,” Patel told AP.