Monkey Man: Dev Patel 'wanted to create own fresh world'
Dev Patel shares that he came up with Monkey Man due to his dissatisfaction with the insufficient inclusion of diverse characters in action movies.
Dev Patel has moved on from portraying silly characters and serving as a comedic supporting actor.
Dev has produced a new movie called Monkey Man in which he has played the lead role while also serving as the director and producer. This movie features a British Asian protagonist who is a skilled action hero.
However, he does not wish for it to be associated with James Bond.
The performer, whose notable appearances include Lion and Slumdog Millionaire, expressed discontent to BBC Asian Network's Nikita Kanda about the lack of representation for the genre, as someone who highly admires it.
He explains that he hasn't been able to find any relatable characters in action movies, ranging from Hollywood to Bollywood, and even Hong Kong.
Dev, who comes from a Gujarati Indian background and was raised in London, expressed that there wasn't anything that symbolized his presence, character, or his bi-cultural nature.
As a kid, I avoided certain things, but now I want to incorporate them into my life.
Meet Monkey Man, an exciting action movie about the adventures of a character referred to as "Kid," who sets out to avenge his mother's death by pursuing the individuals who caused it.
The source of the image is the BBC Asian Network.
Dev expresses that the movie contains a wealth of messages and themes.
The script has been Dev's focus for 12 years now. He claims he's not keeping track, but he admits that it's become an obsession, taking over his entire life.
He explains that production is like a "Trojan horse" – outwardly, it's an action-packed movie but it carries a significant message beneath the surface.
This movie holds significant political and social importance. It portrays revenge in the context of belief and demonstrates the power of faith as a refined weapon.
The blog section is definitely not aiming to emulate James Bond.
Dev declares, "Monkey Man is who I aspire to be and not James Bond."
After Daniel Craig's departure as Bond in 2021, many discussions have occurred regarding who will take on the role. Some have suggested that it's time for the iconic British spy to be portrayed by a person of color.
According to Dev, Monkey Man was created to make new and unique stories in an original world.
"I aimed to expand our perspectives so that we won't argue about the identical position."
The footage of Monkey Man was captured amidst the Covid-19 outbreak, which Dev remarked as being quite "significant".
He also wishes that the portrayal of a British Asian in an action-based movie would encourage more diverse roles in the future.
Dev expressed that when he commenced working on this piece, the sole opportunities being presented to him were to play the part of the humorous companion or the individual who breaches the central computer system for the impressive, popular guy.
He kicked off his professional journey by taking on the role of Anwar, an unlucky character in the adolescent-themed show Skins aired on Channel 4. Thereafter, he featured as the lead in the movie Slumdog Millionaire in the year 2008.
He didn't feel like he could break free from those stereotypes until he played Saroo in Lion in 2016, which earned him an Oscar nomination.
He explains that the movie offered him the chance to express his soul in front of the camera that he hadn't experienced before.
My career took a turn after this experience, and people no longer perceived me as the silly and uncomfortable guy they saw in Slumdog Millionaire and Skins.
The picture is from Getty Images --- In free style English: The image originates from Getty Images.
Dev rose to fame for his portrayal of Anwar in the popular teenage drama series, Skins, during the early 2000s.
Monkey Man marked the first time Dev took on the role as both director and actor. It was his directorial debut in the film industry and a significant milestone in his career.
According to him, the process was very disorganized. He also mentioned that he had initially intended to only play the main character.
He expresses that his objective was solely to create a movie which would impress and interest the 14-year-old version of himself.
"We went to great lengths to achieve it."
It's not an overstatement. The pandemic interrupted the filming process, and he claims that he "injured my hand in the initial action scene."
I experienced a series of unfortunate events where all possible things that could go wrong, did go wrong for me.
The movie Monkey Man has received several favorable reviews and even a standing ovation during an early SXSW screening. This is a promising sign before its release in the UK on Friday. The movie doesn't appear to have caused much harm.
Dev stated that he became weary of seeing identical faces and the identical franchises repackaged repeatedly.
"This is authentic, this embodies our heritage, this exudes energy and I trust that individuals will venture out to witness it and endorse it."
You can find Dev's complete interview with Nikita Kanda on YouTube, or you could also catch it on BBC Sounds.
Tune in to Ankur Desai's program on BBC Asian Network broadcasting live between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM from Monday to Thursday - or catch up on past episodes here.
