Dev Patel’s glorious weekend extended beyond the Oscars, after having “To Kill A Tiger” be nominated for the Best Documentary for which he is an executive producer, as the official premiere of his first directorial venture, “Monkey Man” made the crowd at the SXSW Film Festival get up from their seats to applaud this masterpiece. The film was shown at the Paramount Theatre and while the SXSW crowd is not particularly known for its expressive display of appreciation, they clearly could not resist Monkey Man. Following the tale of a scrawny underdog who stands up to the corrupt elites to take revenge for the murder of his mother, this is a gripping display of Patel’s versatility as the lead role.
Despite commandeering through the challenges brought about by the pandemic, Patel was committed and dedicated to bring his passion project to fruition. The crew faced a lot of adversities throughout, with Patel breaking his hand and having to surgically handle it, tearing his shoulder in a fight scene, contracting an eye infection after another scene, injuring his toes, as well as the unfortunate and untimely passing away of a lighting technician owing to a heart attack. There was faulty equipment amidst their set and cinematographer Sharon Meir came up with ingenious ideas such as hanging the camera from swinging ropes, and to even shoot certain scenes with Patel’s mobile phone.
The result of this obstacle course of a journey is clearly evident on screens, with critics having nothing but great things to say about Patel’s creative vision and the efforts of the whole crew. The movie is also strongly poised to make waves within India too, as Hanuman is a prevalent aspect throughout this movie. Make sure to catch this movie on screens near you on April 5th, 2024.