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Dev Patel's directorial debut, Monkey Man, arrived in theatres on April 5, 2024, bringing a story of revenge and redemption. The movie is a social commentary on corrupt power and misuse of faith to feed personal greed.
Monkey Man is an action-thriller which stars Dev Patel in the lead as Kid. Patel has also co-written and co-produced the movie. Universal Pictures is one of the production companies involved with the film and is also releasing the movie in theatres.
The movie was announced in 2018 and completed its filming in 2021. It changed hands from Netflix to Universal Pictures delaying its release. In 20 days of its release, the movie grossed almost $29 million for a $10 million budget. As for critical response, it garnered 88% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and 70/100 on Metacritic.
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Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers.
What happened to Monkey Man's protagonist, Kid, in the end?
As mentioned before, Monkey Man is a story of revenge with an undercurrent of social justice. With his vindication achieved, Kid has no goal to look forward to. He has a big face-off with the policeman Rana Singh who had killed Kid's mother. After a violent fight, the protagonist manages to beat the vile official to death.
Kid then proceeds to catch up with the main villain, the corrupt religious leader who had orchestrated violence in the past to fulfil his greed. Hiding behind a pious image, the preacher, called Baba Shakti, was instrumental in Kid's mother's death and the destruction of many villages and lives.
A gruesome battle ensues between the two, where Baba mortally injures Kid with blades hidden in his wooden slippers. However, Kid manages to pries away the weapon and use it against the godman, avenging all the killings of the past.
While the godman dies at the end of the movie, the fatally wounded Kid falls to the ground hallucinating about Lord Hanuman, the Monkey God from the Ramayana, and about the happy times with his mother.
What is the interpretation of the end of the movie?
Monkey Man leaves the outcome of the final battle ambiguous for the protagonist. While his retribution is complete with the villainous godman's death, Kid's fate is unclear.
On one hand, the audience knows that Kid was badly injured and likely to succumb to his wounds. As such his hallucinations would mean he is nearing death. Visions of Lord Hanuman may indicate his departure for the afterlife.
Moreover, Kid has been living his whole life planning revenge and redemption. With that achieved, he has no further impetus to stay alive. Meeting his mother in the afterlife would be his next goal.
On the other hand, he had been once rescued from the jaws of death by the temple keeper, Alpha. They will possibly search him out and may revive him again. In that case, the visions of Lord Hanuman and his mother may mean he had done his duty by avenging his mother and his role identifies with that of the dutiful God.
If Kid lives, it may also set up the plot for a sequel. While killing a powerful political figure and a godman may make Kid a fugitive, his fight will transcend from personal vindication to larger social justice. However, there is no word about a sequel to Monkey Man as of now.
How is Monkey Man a socio-political as well as a cultural commentary?
The problems touched upon in Monkey Man focus on many social and political evils. The most important evil brought to the fore is misuse of power from political figures like Baba Shakti to law officials like Rana Singh. At each level of the power hierarchy, corrupt use of power has been displayed.
On the social front, the movie showcases the plight of the poor and ill-informed. On one hand, the villagers are destroyed for a godman's greed while on the other hand, common mass is swayed by the oratory of the same godman.
Moreover, a separate temple for the transgender community shows the social negligence they face. The exploitation of pr*stitutes is made clear through the equation between Sita, the pr*stitute, and Queenie Kapoor, the brothel owner.
On a cultural hint, Dev Patel's Monkey Man compares the fight of the protagonist with his God, Lord Hanuman. Not only does he wear the mask of a monkey when he fights, but Kid is also guided by the stories of Lord Hanuman since childhood.
As per legends, a baby Hanuman was struck down by God Indra for attempting to pluck the sun from the sky. When his father threatened to draw out all air in the atmosphere, Hanuman was revived by Lord Shiva. Kid was also revived by Alpha after his failed attempt at redemption lands him in a river, shot by police.
Monkey Man is currently screening in select theatres.
