Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s work inspired British-Indian actor Dev Patel while he was writing and directing the vigilante action thriller Monkey Man, the 33-year-old said during an ‘ask me anything’ session on Reddit recently.

“Anything that Shah Rukh Khan does,” Dev wrote in response to a fan’s question about Bollywood films that have inspired him to write and direct Monkey Man.

Dev recently received a standing ovation for the film after its premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas on March 11. Slated to release in theatres on April 5, the film marks Dev’s directorial debut and Sobhita Dhulipala’s Hollywood debut as an actress.

“Not only is she breathtakingly beautiful - but she carries pain well as a performer,” Dev wrote in response to a fan’s question about his decision to cast Sobhita. “I wanted to find a leading woman that was trapped in a corrupt system like my character but somehow she has strength and takes the lead in our interactions,” he added.

About the actress’s role in the film, Dev mentioned that she is not a “damsel in distress” but instead, a “woman caught up in a horrible reality”.

Dev revealed that he broke his hand and toes while shooting action sequences for the film. “I’m my own worst enemy. I wanted to try to hold the camera and not cut up the action too much. Hold 100s of choreography and lines of dialogue mixed with all the other duties that a director has from production design, to rehearsing with actors to setting up cameras... It was a full meal. Also I broke my hand and my toes, tore a shoulder and we kept going. It was a test of will.”

Monkey Man also draws its inspiration from Korean movies like Nowhere, I Saw the Devil, The Handmaiden, Old Boy, A Bittersweet Life and The Chaser, Dev revealed to a fan and called himself a “Korean film fanboy”.

Monkey Man follows a young man seeking vengeance against the corrupt leaders who killed his mother. Dev plays Kid, who lives his life wearing a gorilla mask in an underground fight club where he is beaten by popular fighters in exchange for cash. However, he soon discovers a way to exact revenge on the rich leaders who took away everything from him.

The film heavily draws from Indian folk tales and mysticism as Kid recalls a bedtime story of Hanuman and Ravana where a white gorilla emerged as the saviour of the people attacked by devils. Thus, he embodies the icon of the gorilla to not only avenge his mother but also to protect the weak.

Apart from Dev and Sobhita, Monkey Man stars Sikandar Kher, Adithi Kalkunte, Makarand Deshpande, Ashwini Kalsekar and Vipin Sharma.