(90'694 votes)An anonymous young man unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systematically victimize the poor and powerless.
Watched Monkey Man? I was very hopeful when I saw the trailer, but to every Indian’s dismay, it didn’t get a release in India. We waited. If there’s a will (to watch a movie), then there is a way (torrent).
The Politics of Making and Banning
Dev Patel’s maiden directorial Monkey Man has a lot to tell about India. Remember Slumdog Millionaire? Yes, it works with the same ideology. The real India lives in its slums. Foreign directors and producers engage themselves in a fetish of poverty porn when they think of showing India globally.Corruption, casteism, and man-made god: these are the things that an insider can point out after watching the film. The film got banned in India because of its obscenity? The purported obscenity cited for the film’s ban in India seems dubious. I didn’t find anything as filthy as the Dirty Picture or Hate Story here. Certainly, this is political. The CBFC certainly made a statement, and it was too loud for the Indian audience.
The Story
The plot construction is very simple. If you already watched the film, do you remember the name of the protagonist? Nah. You don’t. He is unnamed. The unnamed protagonist is not happy with what he is doing. He goes to a fight club wearing a monkey mask and gets beaten every day. Of course, he gets money for that, however, not the amount he needs.Eventually, he infiltrates into that dark-elite club which is run by Queenie Kapoor and Rana. Whenever we see Rana, we find the traumatized flashbacks recurring in the protagonist’s mind: the murderer of her mother. In the middle of the drama, he attempts to kill him but is overpowered by the antagonist. He runs to save his life. He got shot.In classic Bollywood fashion, the hero is saved, this time by a group of trans individuals, urging him to rediscover his purpose and fight evil. The caretaker of the temple, Alpha, pushes him to the edge from where he can be resurrected and find a purpose to destroy the evil.
The Action
One of my friends shared a review with me where the reviewer maintained that there’s fewer action sequences, shaky camera work, and so on. But what I realized is that if we always care about the reviews, then we’ll lose many good films. The film is packed with action but more hand-to-hand combat. Guns are not the priority but knives are.My observations are real simple: the action sequences are pure and original; multiple cameras are working at a time and too many cuts; the background score enhances the quality of action (where the action fails to speak).
The Music
What I liked about the movie was the use of Indian music. The rap music and the Indian taste to it. That was marvelous. It hits you when the protagonist is chased by the police- when he enters into a brothel and fights for his life. The most surprising and spectacular part of the movie was Ustad Zakir Hussain. Dev Patel’s request to the maestro and the on-screen presence is a historical moment for the audience. It was the bits of the tabla tagged to every punch he practiced. Surreal.
The Myth
Has the myth of Lord Hanuman been properly presented in the story? I would say partially. As kids in India are affectionately addressed by the names of deities and told about the right deeds they did with their power, it makes sense. “It’s time to remember who you are.” Lord Hanuman was cursed by the gods to forget his powers, but when King Jambavan reminded him of his power, he became invincible, drawing parallels with the deity’s journey of self-realization. The Hijras (transgenders) are shown on the sides of devotion (Mata Parvati) and destruction (Lord Shiva). They understand the essence of their purpose and helps the protagonist to fight for a purpose. These marginalized people are also presented in a manner to be subordinate to the protagonist.
Is Monkey Man the Indian John Wick?
Can we call it the Indian John Wick? No. We cannot. Firstly, it’s not Indian. The actors are Indian, of course. The production house is not. Secondly, it doesn’t match the quality of action in John Wick. There is a reference to Jhon Wick when the protagonist goes to buy a gun; something smaller but effective. Maybe some of the unrealistic stunts. The Gun-fu which makes John Wick John Wick is not available here. Still, Monkey Man remains original.
Conclusion
Comparisons to “John Wick” are inevitable but ultimately unfair. “Monkey Man” stands on its own, with Dev Patel’s commendable work both behind and in front of the camera. The ensemble cast, including Sikandar Kher as the antagonist, Vipin Sharma as Alpha, and Pitabash Tripathi as Alphanso, deliver stellar performances, making it a well-rounded production.
