Entertainment
Skins icon praises trans community as he champions ‘underdogs’ in new film-Danni Scott-Entertainment – Metro
‘We should be fighting for each other.’
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Hollywood’s hottest new director Dev Patel has revealed how he sought to champion non-binary and transgender people in new movie, Monkey Man.
After hitting cinemas on April 5, his movie has already garnered heaps of praise as fans obsesses over what is set to be this year’s biggest hit.
The 33-year-old actor poured everything into his directorial debut, which was reportedly a catastrophe to shoot with Dev nearly losing his hand.
Monkey Man follows a street fighter, Kid, in Mumbai on his quest for revenge against the high-class villains responsible for his mother’s death.
It also, very deliberately, features members of India’s ancient hijra community who join Kid (Dev) on his journey and play key roles.
‘For me, this is an anthem for the underdogs, the voiceless and the marginalised,’ the Skins legend shared with Variety.
Dev Patel wrote, produced, directed and starred in Monkey Man (Picture: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
He said he wanted to spotlight the Hijra community (Picture: Akhirwan Nurhaidir/Universal Pictures via AP)
Hijra is officially recognised as a third gender and encompasses anyone who is transgender, non-binary, intersex, or uses other gender fluid identities.
He continued: ‘Together they wage this war for the good and the just, and for me, I really wanted to include the hijra community, the third gender in India.
‘We should be fighting for each other, not against each other. For me, it has become rigid over time.
‘When you look at the old carvings in these temples in India, the freedom, the sexuality, all of it, the philosophy was so ahead of its time, I wanted to dive into it and make that the lore of the film.’
Monkey Man is in cinemas now (Picture: Universal Pictures via AP)
Dev said the film was an ‘anthem’ for ‘underdogs’ (Picture: Akhirwan Nurhaidir/Universal Pictures via AP)
In South Asia, hijras have existed for more than 2,000 years and often live outside societies in their own communities with gurus and leaders.
Dev referred to working with the LGBTQ+ cast members as his favourite memory of filming the movie, with the majority not being professional actors.
‘They brought so much joy and truth to the set,’ he recalled on Reddit during an AMA session.
The British actor has stormed Hollywood in the nearly two decades since he was cast in E4’s Skins after his mum saw an open casting call in Metro in 2006.
His breakout role was in Slumdog Millionaire (Picture: AP Photo/Fox Searchlight)
But many still remember him as Anwar from E4 classic Skins (Picture: Roger Sargent/REX/Shutterstock)
He starred on the drama for two seasons as Anwar, which he has since shared took a toll on him as he was deemed ‘the ugliest’ cast member — at just 15 years old.
Since then he has appeared in numerous acclaimed films, including The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Lion, The Green Knight, and The Personal History of David Copperfield.
Monkey Man is his first solo directing experience as well as writing, producing and starring in the film.
Dev Patel’s Monkey Man is in cinemas now.
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