Dev Patel’s acclaimed film Monkey Man might not make it on April 19 in cinemas in India; might release a week later, on April 26

Earlier this year, the trailer of Monkey Man dropped on the internet and it created a sensation across the world. It is directed by Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire (2009) fame and he also features in the lead role. The action and violence in the trailer and also the treatment caught the attention and generated tremendous excitement. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11 where it received a long standing ovation. The reaction at this film festival further added to the hype. It is all set to release in the USA and other major territories on April 5. In India, it was scheduled to release on April 19. But in the last few days, the assets dropped by Universal Pictures India on social media have stopped carrying the release date. Instead, 'Coming soon' is mentioned. Even on the popular ticket app BookMyShow, the release date of the film has vanished. It has led to fears that the film might not make it on April 19.

A source told Bollywood Hungama, “The studio wants to bring Monkey Man to theatres in India on April 19. But it all depends on its clearance by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The film has excessive violence and there are fears that some of its aspects might hurt the sentiments of the section of the audience. Hence, the Censor process is expected to take time.”

The source added, “Also, the Universal Studios team in the USA also needs to permit the changes asked by the CBFC. Once they approve, the local team will carry out the changes and only then, the team will announce the release date.”

The source further said, “If the process gets completed on time, Monkey Man will be released in India on April 19. Or else, it’ll release a week later, on April 26. A clearer picture will emerge in a week’s time, hopefully.”

Monkey Man is the story of a young man who unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother. Besides Dev Patel, it also stars Sharlto Copley, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vipin Sharma and others. It was earlier scheduled to premiere directly on Netflix. But later, Jordan Peele of Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) fame saw the film and he acquired it with the belief that the film deserves a theatrical release.

Also Read: Monkey Man New Trailer: Dev Patel packs brutal punches seeking vengeance against the corrupt leaders in action-packed debut directorial; Zakir Hussain makes an appearance