Who Is Hanuman? A Brief Overview of the God Who Inspired ‘Monkey Man’
Monkey Man officially premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 11, 2024, where Dev Patel’s directorial debut was almost universally touted as a high-flying victory for the action thriller genre.
Early reviews praised the film for its slick blend of bloody choreography and its focus on themes of corruption and trauma. Patel, the film’s quadruple threat, has also received raves as the director, writer, producer, and star of Monkey Man.
The film stars Patel as Kid, a man who makes his living by getting beaten up at an underground fight club. Following the murder of his mother at the hands of powerful men, Kid sets out to paint a vengeful canvas with the blood of those who wish to take everything from those who already have nothing.
What some may not know about, however, is the inspiration that Monkey Man draws from the legend of the Hindu deity known as Hanuman.
Who is Hanuman?
In Hindu tradition, Hanuman is a heroic deity resembling a monkey (hence Monkey Man) who, among other things, is often honored as a symbol of anti-oppression, initiative, commitment, and occasionally martial arts (again, hence Monkey Man). Hanuman’s adventures are featured in the epic Sanskrit poem, the Ramayana.
In one version of his legend, a young Hanuman mistook the sun for a piece of fruit and leaped up to snack on it to cure his hunger. He was punished with a lightning bolt, which hit him straight in the jaw and left him for dead. The rough ethos of this event isn’t terribly dissimilar from what we know of Monkey Man‘s premise, considering Kid makes his money by literally putting his jaw on the line every night.
In any case, picking out references to Hanuman is sure to be one of the many ways one will be able to enjoy Monkey Man, which drops into cinemas on April 5, 2024.
(featured image: Universal Pictures)
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