Blending action with social commentary, Dev Patel's 'Monkey Man' set for theatres

Dev Patel highlighted the universal themes of "Monkey Man" at the action thriller's Los Angeles premiere, Wednesday.

The Oscar-winning actor makes his feature directorial and screenwriting debut with the India-set movie. He also stars, as Kid, who makes a living working in an underground fight club and who later seeks to avenge his mother's horrific death by infiltrating an elite network in Mumbai.

Patel says he first pitched the film to financiers as a "revenge film about faith" and wanted to blend action with social commentary.

"There's a fair few issues we touch on, you know, violence against women, you know, the caste system, you know, police brutality," said Patel.

The star believes the film's themes will strike a chord with audiences around the world.

"You know, I've got a place here in LA, and you don't need to look far to look at cases of police brutality. I think every society faces a sort of caste system," said the writer-director.

The film is executive produced by Oscar-winning writer and director Jordan Peele through Monkeypaw Productions and Universal Pictures.

It also stars Makarand Deshpande and Sikander Kehr. "Monkey Man" premieres in theaters worldwide on April 5.