Dev Patel, making his directorial debut with Monkey Man, has been receiving positive responses for the film since its premiere at SXSW. Makrand Deshpande also plays an important role in the film. In a new interview with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, Makarand revealed how Dev had apologized for editing out parts of a scene from him at the LA premiere of the film. (Also Read: Dev Patel reveals this Shah Rukh Khan film had a deep impact on him: ‘I watched it when I was really young’)
What did Makrand say about Monkey Man?
In the interview, Makrand said, ‘I went to California for the premiere of Monkey Man. Earlier, Dev said he wanted to talk to me. He said, ‘This is the scene I like the most, but we had to edit it for some reason… because of some political (reason)… you understand,’ and he just muttered. I kept looking at him and said, ‘Dev, wasn’t that scene the philosophy of your film?’ He was like, ‘Oh yeah, man, but you’ve still got to love your role, I’m sorry, but you’ve got to love it.'”
‘What fun do you eat with that food?’
He further said, ‘When I saw the film I said, no problem. But I know that scene – Vo aahar raheta toh kya maja aata (It would have been amazing if that scene was kept). It had the essence that an edited scene may not matter to the audience, but it does matter to the actor. In my understanding, this was the rooh (soul) of the film, it may not have been for Dev. It’s getting a lot of critical praise, it might be in the Oscar race later and it’s like his Satya.
Monkey Man revolves around an underdog street fighter who ends up becoming a vigilante superhero. Dev’s character fights against the powerful and rich people, who oppress Dalits and are also responsible for his mother’s death. It includes Shobhita Dhulipala, Sikandar Kher, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar and Aditi Kalakunte. No announcement has been made yet about the release date of the film in India.
