Academy Award-nominated actor Dev Patel’s directorial debut venture Monkey Man recently premiered at the 2024 SXSW Conference & Festivals in Austin, Texas and received overwhelmingly positive responses with the actor getting a standing ovation for his performance of a young man avenging his mother’s death from a crooked cop.

In a video shared by Variety, Dev was moved to tears while the audiences lauded and clapped for him as the end credits rolled at the screening. He was speechless as he thanked everyone with folded hand.

Monkey Man also marks the Hollywood debut of actor Sobhita Dhulipala. The film also stars Makarand Deshpande, Sikandar Kher, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kaleskar and Adithi Kalkunte in pivotal roles. The film’s story is written by Dev Patel who has also co-written the screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee.

The film is set in India and is a story of a man who seeks revenge on the people who killed his mother. It is inspired by the legend of Hanuman. The trailer features Dev’s character when he was a kid and how he later transforms into a young man filled with rage. It also gives a glimpse into the world of the film which is full of gritty action and chase scenes.

Monkey Man is produced by Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Christine Haebler and Anjay Nagpal. It will hit the theatres on April 5.