The highest grossing Indian film of the year is a low-budget Telugu superhero film called HanuMan. It has outgrossed big names like Fighter, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and Guntur Kaaram with a worldwide gross of Rs 350 crore. However, it is not the only superhero film on Lord Hanuman released this year. The other such film is from Hollywood but it is set in India and almost exclusively features an all-Indian cast. The catch is it may never release in India.
The superhero film on Lord Hanuman from Hollywood
Monkey Man, the critically-acclaimed film from actor-turned-director Dev Patel, has been wowing audiences worldwide. The film is a John Wick-style action thriller starring Patel as the titular vigilante fighting a dictator in a dystopian India, while wearing a monkey mask. The film is set in Mumbai and features several references to Lord Hanuman, who inspires the protagonist to take up his alter ego. Apart from Dev, the film also stars Sharlto Copley (of District 9 and Oldboy-fame) but has all other Indians in the cast. Some of the more prominent cast members include Sobhita Dhulipala, Sikander Kher, and Makarand Deshpande.
The roadblocks for Monkey Man’s India release
Monkey Man was originally slated to be a Netflix release before filmmaker Jordan Peele came across it and became a producer. He pushed for a theatrical release for the film worldwide. Monkey Man released on April 5 and has since grossed $32 million (Rs 270 crore) against a $10-million (Rs 83-crore) budget. While the numbers are not extraordinary, they are promising. However, the pinch of salt with this news is that the film is yet to be released in India. The reason for that is that the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) has not yet cleared it.
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While there is no official reason for the delay in the film’s India release, reports claim that CBFC isn’t too happy with how India is depicted in the film, while some members are wary of the depiction of the film’s right-wing autocratic regime, which they feel may anger the country’s right-wing politicians. The film’s makers seem to have given fuel to this fire when the film’s second trailer changed saffron flags to red. However, there has been no official change in CBFC’s stance towards Monkey Man since then. It is unclear when the film would be cleared to release in India, if ever.
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