The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has prevented its release without officially banning it by failing to screen the film for the advisory panel. The CBFC has refrained from screening the movie for its Examining Committee, despite its scheduled release on Indian screens on April 19. This occurred even after Universal Studios made alterations to the original version, including editing scenes that strongly highlighted the connection between religion and politics. Additionally, Universal Studios also modified the colour of political banners in several scenes from saffron to red.
According to The Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024, films must be referred to the Examining Committee within five days. This same requirement was also present in the previous 1983 version of the rules. Despite ‘Monkey Man’ exceeding this deadline in May, the censors have not yet reviewed the film.
During an interview with Siddharth Kannan in April, Makarand Deshpande, who portrayed a significant godman in ‘Monkey Man,’ disclosed that he was told certain pivotal scenes were omitted from the film due to ‘political reasons.’For instance, Makarand’s character’s introductory dialogue in the film, “Faith is the most elegant weapon. A man can sacrifice himself for his beliefs without any monetary gain. That’s how empires are built,” was excluded from the final cut.
To see in this article
‘Monkey Man’ debuted globally at South by Southwest on March 11, 2024. It premiered in Sydney on April 2, 2024, attended by Patel and his partner, Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey, and hit Australian theatres on April 4. The film was subsequently released in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland by Universal Pictures on April 5, 2024.
Photo credit : tv guide
What’s the plot of Monkey man ?
Monkey man is an action thriller movie directed and produced by Dev patel , the british actor and filmmaker who is famous for his role from the oscar award winning movie “ The slumdog millionaire”. The plot revolves on a young man who struggles to survive in an underground fight club, where he wears a gorilla mask and endures brutal beatings from more successful fighters for money. After years of pent-up anger, he finds a way to infiltrate the inner circle of the city’s corrupt elite. Fueled by childhood trauma and driven by his scarred hands, he embarks on a vengeful rampage to settle scores with those who destroyed his life.
Reports on October 29, 2018, indicated that Dev Patel was set to make his directorial debut with an action thriller titled Monkey Man, a project he co-wrote with Paul Angunawela and John Collee. Patel was also slated to star in the film. Initially, Patel sought to enlist Neill Blomkamp, with whom he had previously worked, to direct, but Blomkamp declined and encouraged Patel to helm the project himself.
Controversy regarding the Monkey man
Actor Makarand Deshpande portrays an influential godman in the film. A scene introducing his character sparked controversy and has since been removed by the filmmakers. In the edited scene, Baba Shakti (played by Mr. Deshpande) encounters a gangster-turned-politician affiliated with the ruling party in the film’s fictional universe, described as the saffron party, which is depicted as gaining traction in local elections but not yet achieving national power. The politician confronts the godman, labeling him a ‘fraud’.
In an additional scene that was cut from the film, a news anchor mentions the crackdowns on the LGBT community, accompanied by real-life footage of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) appearing on screen.
Another factor contributing to the CBFC’s disapproval of the Monkey Man movie was the inclusion of a character named Sita, depicted as a prostitute. They expressed concerns that her name closely resembled Sita Mata, a revered goddess in Hindu mythology, which could potentially offend viewers.Additionally, certain antagonistic characters in the movie are depicted with religious affiliations, which the board feared could lead to controversy and offend certain groups.
