Oscar-nominated actor is in the city for recce and research on his directorial debut, a revenge-thriller set in modern-day India
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 22, 2020)

After Christopher Nolan, Robert Pattinson, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Game of Thrones stars Emilia Clarke and Rose Leslie and American actress Andie MacDowell, another Hollywood actor, Dev Patel, is in India. According to a source, the 29-year-old actor is in Mumbai on a work trip for about 10 days. “Dev is keeping a low profile as he is here for recce and research for his directorial debut, the tentatively-titled Monkey Man. He is also meeting producers to explore potential collaborations,” informed the source.

Co-written with Paul Angunawela and John Collee, Monkey Man is reportedly a revenge-thriller set in modern-day India and deals with mythology. According to Variety, it revolves around the Kid (played by Dev), who emerges from prison to enter a world marred by “corporate greed and eroding spiritual values”.

Mithun Chakraborty’s youngest son, Namashi, who makes his Bollywood debut with Rajkumar Santoshi’s Bad Boy, ran into the Oscar-nominated actor at a suburban restaurant over the weekend. “I was having dinner with Amrin (Qureshi, co-star) and stylist Priyanka Mishra when I spotted Dev. As I am a fan, I went up to him and asked for a picture. He graciously obliged. When I told him that I am an actor as well and that my film is releasing soon, he wished me luck,” Namashi said.

In 2016, Dev filmed Hotel Mumbai near a SoBo college. The film released in India in November 2019 and also featured Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi and Anupam Kher. It revolved around the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.