'Monkey Man' fame Dev Patel was ashamed of his Indian heritage: 'It’s not the coolest'

Dev Patel Pic/AFP

Actor Dev Patel, who made his directorial debut with 'Monkey Man' sat down for a chat with singing sensation Kelly Clarkson for an episode on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show'. Dev said that he was ashamed of his Indian heritage because it was not the "coolest".

The actor-turned-director recalled, "There was a time when I was ashamed of the Indian part of my heritage. When you're in school in Greater London, it's not the coolest. I'm trying what I can to not show that part, going into films like Slumdog Millionaire and doing all these kinds of movies. I realised actually that with the first movie, I'm going to direct, I'm not going to double down, I'm going to triple down on culture."

"I grew up watching Bollywood and Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Carrey and Jackie Chan. It's all in there (in Monkey Man). It's the cocktail that makes me," he added.

Dev Patel garnered fame with Danny Boyle's ‘Slumdog Millionaire' which also featured Frieda Pinto and Anil Kapoor.

During the Los Angeles premiere of the film, Patel shared how he was reluctant about directing a film. He said he became "a reluctant writer and then a sort of reluctant director" on the project after he pitched it to previous collaborator Neill Blomkamp to direct and Blomkamp told the actor he should helm it himself because of his attachment to the material.

"There were some incredible people that pushed me into this director's seat, and once I was there, I didn't look back," Patel continued. "It was by any means necessary I was going to birth this dream so I really love it, and I would love to do it again if I was so lucky."

Coming to 'Monkey Man', Patel wrote, directed, produced, and stars in the Universal action thriller. The action-thriller follows the journey of a young man portrayed by Dev, who embarks on a mission to seek justice for his mother's death, caused by corrupt leaders. However, his quest for vengeance takes an unexpected turn as he becomes a champion for the oppressed and powerless, transforming into the titular 'Monkey Man.' The film also features Sobhita Dhulipala, Sikandar Kher, Sharlto Copley, Makarand Deshpande, Ashwini Kalsekar, and others.

(With inputs from ANI)