When will 'Slumdog Millionaire' actor Dev Patel’s 'Monkey Man' land in Indian cinemas?

(From left) Dev Patel, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Sikandar Kher star in 'Monkey Man'.

The release of British actor-filmmaker of Indian descent Dev Patel’s highly anticipated directorial debut Monkey Man has been reportedly postponed in India. Amid rumours that the film has been banned in the country, recent information from Bollywood media has refuted earlier reports, clarifying that such claims are inaccurate.

Indian audiences, as much as the rest of the world, would remember Patel from the Oscar-winning films Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Lion (2016).

Dev Patel in a still from 'Monkey Man', which hasn't yet released in India.

Patel’s revenge action drama, Monkey Man, premiered at South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) on 11 March while being released theatrically on April 5. The film was initially scheduled for a release in India on April 19, then postponed to April 26 and now the release date remains uncertain. The movie has not been approved by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in India yet because of its intense violence, sexual content, and allusions to Hindu religion and mythology.

The film’s premise is about an individual's relentless pursuit of retribution against the corrupt officials responsible for the death of his mother and their ongoing oppression of the underprivileged and vulnerable. The Oscar nominee stars in Monkey Man as a nameless youth who struggles to make ends meet in an underground combat arena. Donning a gorilla mask each night as he endures brutal beatings from better-known fighters for a meagre income. After harbouring years of pent-up anger, he stumbles upon a means to infiltrate the inner circle of the city's corrupt elite. As childhood traumas resurface, his hands, marked by mysterious scars, become the instruments of vengeance, launching a relentless pursuit to avenge the injustices inflicted upon him by those who stripped him of everything he held dear.

The John wick-esque thriller received 89 per cent with critics on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 84 per cent. As of April 21, 2024, Monkey Man has earned $21.7 million in the United States and Canada and $6.6 million in various other territories, amounting to a global box office revenue of $28.3 million.

Although Monkey Man has garnered predominantly positive reviews, received a standing ovation at SXSW, and achieved a box office gross of $12 million during its opening weekend, Indians might still have to wait for some time before being able to watch it themselves.