Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man’ recently won the Headliner Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival. Yet to be released, the movie has gained immense appreciation from critics and fans alike.
Speaking about his experience and the audience reaction at SXSW, Dev’s co-star Vipin Sharma said in a statement, “As soon as the very first screening of Monkey Man finished at Paramount Theatre in Austin on March 11, the audiences started to scream with joy. Dev Patel, the writer, director and lead, came on stage, and a standing ovation welcomed him. People kept clapping and he became so emotional that he had to turn his back to wipe his tears. After all, it was around 10 years that he fought for his dream to come true. The film was almost shelved at times, and then there was no distribution in sight after it was finished! Barely able to control his emotions, he then very humbly asked Claudette, the director of the festival, if he could bring the cast on stage, and that was our dream come true moment after almost 3 years of having shot the film in a bubble in Indonesia on an island during the pandemic!”
He added, “Monkey Man was received with such warmth. People cried, screamed, gasped and laughed for around two hours, mesmerised, never looking away from the screen. Such is the spell of Dev’s superb action thriller.”
Dev’s directorial debut, 'Monkey Man,' also stars Sobhita Dhulipala, Sikandar Kher, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, and Makarand Deshpande.
The project, produced by Jordan Peele, will be released theatrically by Universal Pictures in India on April 5.