Will Dev Patel's Monkey Man release in India? Here's what we know

Dev Patel's directorial debut movie, Monkey Man, is yet to be released in India. It was released in the USA and Canada by Universal Pictures on April 5

Monkey Man is a 2024 American action thriller and it is the directorial debut of Dev Patel who has also co-written the movie, along with Paul Angunawela and John Collee. It also stars Patel in the lead role with Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, and Vipin Sharma in the supporting cast.

The movie premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2024, and it was released in the USA and Canada by Universal Pictures on April 5. Made with a budget of $10 million, it garnered a positive response overall and grossed $34 million worldwide. 

Will Monkey Man ever be released in India?

Monkey Man was scheduled to be released in Indian theatres on April 19, however, it has still not been released in the country. The Dev Patel directorial, based on a dystopian version of India, is yet to be seen in the country as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is yet to schedule its screening for the board’s advisory panel. 

According to The Hindu report, the movie is not formally banned in India, but the CBFC has shown no interest in either examining the contents of the movie or even referring it to the board’s advisory panel to pave the way for the movie’s release in the country.

Even after the Universal Studios having edited out the controversial parts of the movie, and clipping some scenes which showed a “nexus between religion and politics”, the CBFC seems unimpressed. Many other changes were made to the movie’s contents after protests from certain quarters in India. It is, therefore, unlikely the movie will ever be released in India. 

As per the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024, notified in March and its preceding 183 version, there is a five-day window for a movie to be referred to the Examining Committee, for it to watch the movie and take a decision. The deadline has already lapsed in May and still, the censors have not seen the move. 

The Hindu's Right-to-Information (RTI) request was reportedly denied by the CBFC which sought details of the film’s examination. The Chief Executive Officer of CBFC, Smita Vats Sharma upheld the officer's decision to withhold these details under the Right to Information Act.

As of now, there is no official information about the release of the movie in India. 

What's controversial in the movie?

Actor Makarand Deshpande plays the role of an influential godman in the movie. There was a controversy regarding a scene where he is introduced to the viewers, which has now been edited out by the makers. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, a film critic, Deshpande (quoting Patel) said that the cut in the movie was made due to political reasons. He said the scene was the soul of the movie and his character.

In that scene, Baba Shakti (portrayed by Mr Deshpande) meets a gangster turned politician from the ruling party in the film's fictional universe described as the saffron party, which has not yet gained national power, but is doing well in the polls. The politician scolds the godman and calls him 'fraud' and says, “He [a saffron party leader] promised you land, didn’t he? … You can fool the public, not me.” 

In response to this, Baba Shakti says, “Your power lies in bullets, and mine lies in these beads.” Then a corrupt policeman kills the politician remarking, “What did you think? We’d let a Mullah run this town?” 

In another deleted scene from the climax of the movie, a whispering voice narrates a prayer in Hindi, the camera pans over a scene of destruction in a nightclub where Mr Patel's character is taking revenge for his mother's killing. At the end of the deleted scene, the camera points to the god Hanuman during the burning of Lanka, the Baba Shakti lies ahead at the protagonist's feet. 

In another deleted scene, a newsreader references the crackdowns on the LGBT community, and real-life footage from the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) flashes across the screen.

In the introduction scene of Baba Shakti, he says, “Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics don’t understand religion at all." 

"Faith is the most elegant weapon. For his beliefs, a man can blow himself to pieces for no money. That’s how empires are built,” he added.