Dev Patel Reveals He Was ‘Ashamed’ Of His Indian Heritage In School, Tried To Not Show That Part Of Him With ‘Monkey Man’

Dev Patel's directorial debut ‘Monkey Man’ has been raking in moolah at the global box office, and collected $10.1 million in just three days of its release. The film, which is inspired by Indian mythology, is being loved by both the audience and the critics. 

During an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Dev, who is basking in the film’s success, recalled how he was once “ashamed” of his roots. “There was a time when I was ashamed of the Indian part of my heritage. When you're in school in Greater London, it's not the coolest. I'm trying what I can to not show that part, going into films like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and doing all these kinds of movies. I realised that with the first movie I'm going to direct, I'm not going to double down, I'm going to triple down on culture,” he said.

Further mentioning how he grew up watching Bollywood along with the likes of  Bruce Lee, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Carrey and Jackie Chan, he added, “It's all in there (in Monkey Man). It's the cocktail that makes me.”

For those caught unaware, ‘Monkey Man’ is actually inspired by one of the old stories of Lord Hanuman, when he loses all his confidence but soon realises who he is with the help of other marginalised forces. His story served as the backdrop for the action film, which follows the journey of a young man, portrayed by Dev. He sets off on a mission to seek justice for his mother's death, but his quest for vengeance takes an unexpected turn when he ends up becoming the voice of the oppressed and powerless, and turning into the titular Monkey Man.

Apart from Dev, the film also stars Sikandar Kher, Sharlto Copley, Sobhita Dhulipala, Makarand Deshpande, Ashwini Kalsekar, and others. The film is also backed by Dev along with Hollywood filmmaker Jordan Peele. ‘Monkey Man’ was released in cinemas overseas on April 5, but it's yet to be released in India.