The film was originally set to be distributed by Netflix before being rerouted to Universal Pictures, where US filmmaker Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions banner has an overall deal "It’s very overwhelming, to be honest. I’m trying to digest it all. It’s an amazing turnout," Dev Patel said of the film that will hit American cinemas in April TEXAS: British actor Dev Patel’s feature directorial debut, “Monkey Man,” is making waves, not least with its buzzed about premiere at the recent South by Southwest Film Festival in the US. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle Set to hit American cinemas in April, Patel co-writes, stars, and directs the political action thriller that he says he infused with heart and culture. “It’s very overwhelming, to be honest. I’m trying to digest it all. It’s an amazing turnout. I mean, the amount of people that showed up here, I’m terrified and equally excited and humbled by this all,” Patel said at the film festival. Set in India, the film is inspired by the legend of Hanuman, the Hindu deity who represents strength and courage. The story is of a young man with a gorilla mask who finds a way to take revenge on a group of corrupt leaders who killed his mother and continue to take advantage of the poor and the powerless. Patel recounted the journey of making the film, listing a chain of injuries that he had to suffer through the production. “It was an incredibly schizophrenic process. I broke my hand, I broke my foot, I tore my shoulder. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong in the making of this film did go wrong. We were in the beginning of the pandemic. I was in the biggest slum in India, and the production went down and it kept going down. And we found a way to pivot constantly,” said Patel about the grueling shooting process. Sharlto Copley, who also stars in the film, praised Patel for his resilience, saying: “He was a general, an absolute warrior when he needed to be. And then he has this incredible heart and sensitivity and humanity, which I think you see in his roles as an actor.” The film was originally set to be distributed by Netflix before being rerouted to Universal Pictures, where US filmmaker Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions banner has an overall deal. It has been reported that Peele chased the deal after seeing the film and feeling it needed more than a streaming release. “This is a movie that has all the things that we love. It’s like it’s got meaning, it’s got grace. It’s a beautiful film and it also has Dev Patel kicking butt throughout the entire film and being awesome,” said Peele to Arab News. When asked to describe “Monkey Man,” Patel was succinct. “Underdog, spiritual and ferocious. Those are the three things I think encapsulate this film.”