Dev Patel lauded for his directorial debut ‘Monkey Man’

Oscar nominee Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless, in Monkey Man.

The film, certified Fresh on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, has been earning rave reviews. One of the film’s earliest fans? Patel’s fellow multi-hyphenate, director-writer-actor-producer Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us, Nope).

Monkey Man was initially scheduled to be released on a streaming platform, but with the shoot completed and the film in the editing process, Patel and his fellow producers sought out the perfect partners to finalize Patel’s labor of love and launch it as a major theatrical release, instead. They found that partner in American filmmaker Jordan Peele and his Monkeypawproductions team.

For Peele, “Monkey Man” was an easy “yes.” “When I heard ‘Dev Patel,’ I was hooked,” Peele says. “He’s one of my favorite actors. He’s also one of the most consistently empathetic and emotive performers who has this amazing opportunity to be a badass. Then I heard that he also directed the film, which blew my mind that someone could try and direct themselves in this way.”

Sikandar Kher, who plays the corrupt police officer who kills Kid’s mother, was thrilled by the opportunity to work with Patel. “Dev’s passion is something I want to learn,” Kher says. “When he says something, there’s something to back it up. He’s extremely intelligent and whatever he’s immersed in, he sticks by it. You don’t realize with Dev that you’re being directed. He puts so much confidence and encouragement into you, and that’s what an actor thrives on.”

Sobhita Dhulipala, who plays an escort named Sita, was fascinated by the world that Patel created for the film. “What interested me about this world are its hyper-real moments tucked amidst these glamorous, high-octane pieces,” Dhulipala says. “And yet, the truth that it wants to speak about is so relevant everywhere in the world: the mingling of religion and politics, how sorrow is intrinsic to everybody’s life, no matter where you stand in society.”