Indian fans turn to piracy amid uncertain release of Dev Patel’s Monkey Man

Dev Patel's first film as a director, Monkey Man, has unfortunately been pirated in India because of the confusion around its release in the country. Originally set to come out on April 5 in India, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) didn't give it the green light for some reason.

So, the film hasn't been released in India, which has caused pirated copies to spread online, as per multiple Indian media outlets. The movie had a great premiere in the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland on April 5, quickening Indian fans' pulses to watch it.

Its official synopsis as per IMDb, reads:

"An anonymous young man unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless."

As of this writing, there is o clarity on when the movie will release in India.

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Why is Dev Patel’s Monkey Man not releasing in India?

Despite having a strong following in India, Dev Patel's Monkey Man is not yet available in the country because of content-related issues. The storyline of the film, which references Indian culture and mythology, includes themes that are deemed controversial. The film also has a lot of violence and political themes, which could end up offending a section of the viewers.

Since nobody knows when it's officially coming out, several movie buffs have resorted to piracy just to get a sneak peek. As a result, many Indian viewers are now turning to unofficial sources to watch the movie, and pirated copies are going around online.

The film's co-financier, Bron Studios, went bankrupt, which has made it even harder to release the film in India. But despite all these problems, there's still a huge demand for Monkey Man in India, as shown by the excitement around its pirated copies.

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Reddit community discusses the release issue of Monkey Man in India and its repercussions

In the middle of all the fuss about Monkey Man coming out in India, a Reddit post on r/india brought up the increasing demand for bootlegged versions of Dev Patel's first film as a director. The post, started by user TheIndianRevolution2, mentioned that with rumors about Monkey Man not getting a release in India, more and more people are searching for illegal copies of the movie.

This trend shows that people are excited to see the movie, even though it's been tricky to get a hold of.

The movie's political themes and portrayal of a made-up version of Mumbai have sparked discussions about censorship, freedom of speech, and how art reflects social problems. As per Vulture, Monkey Man was planned to be on Netflix but got sold to Universal because they were worried about possible negative reactions.

Netflix originally bought the movie for around $30 million but ended up selling it to Universal Pictures for less than $10 million. Netflix's decision to step back from the film and Universal's changing the political party posters has only added to the speculation about how the industry handles political controversies.

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There is still no clarity about the film's theatrical release in India.