EXCLUSIVE: Dev Patel’s Monkey Man is NOT banned in India; CBFC yet to see the film

By Fenil Seta -

April 17, 2024 - 12:00 PM IST

On March 31, Bollywood Hungama reported that Dev Patel’s acclaimed film Monkey Man might make it on April 19, as scheduled. Instead, it’ll be out on April 26, subject to its clearance by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Later, reports came in that the CBFC had seen the film and they didn’t know what to do with it due to its violent scenes and religious theme and that it might not release in India. Certain pages on social media are also claiming that Money Man has been banned or that its release has been cancelled in the country.

EXCLUSIVE: Dev Patel’s Monkey Man is NOT banned in India; CBFC yet to see the film

A source told Bollywood Hungama that none of this is true. The source clarified, “CBFC’s Examining Committee has not even seen the film. Hence, the question doesn’t arise that they are confused as to what to do with the film’s content.”

The source continued, “The Universal Pictures India team applied for a certificate much in advance at the CBFC. But there were multiple holidays last week and hence, the delay. Not just Monkey Man, other films have also suffered as a result.”

Earlier, Bollywood Hungama had reported, “The film has excessive violence and there are fears that some of its aspects might hurt the sentiments of the section of the audience. Hence, the Censor process is expected to take time. Also, the Universal team in the USA needs to permit the changes asked by the CBFC. Once they approve, the local team will carry out the changes and only then, the team will announce the release date.”

When asked about when it’ll be released in India, the source replied, “The local team is waiting to get the censor certificate in hand. Once that happens, they’ll begin a 7 to 10 days’ promotional campaign and then bring the film to theatres.”

This means that a release on April 26 is ruled out. The source said, “That’s correct. Monkey Man will now be released in May.”

An exhibitor on condition of anonymity said, “We hope Monkey Man’s censor clearance happens soon. It seems like an exciting film that can pull in audiences in the otherwise dry month of May.”

Monkey Man is the story of a young man who unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother. Besides Dev Patel, it also stars Sharlto Copley, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vipin Sharma and others. It was earlier scheduled to premiere directly on Netflix. But later, Jordan Peele of Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) fame saw the film and he acquired it with the belief that the film deserves a theatrical release.

Also Read: Dev Patel’s Monkey Man to not release in India?