Malaysian actor Ravi Patel making his Hollywood debut in ‘Monkey Man’

Malaysian actor Ravi Patel is making his Hollywood film debut in the upcoming revenge-thriller titled ‘Monkey Man’.

The up and coming 31-year-old actor from Kuala Lumpur said he was elated and jumped at the chance when he was offered to play the role of a bad cop in ’Monkey Man’.

“I received a call from Indonesian casting team as they got my profile from a mutual connection stating they are going to start a project called ‘Monkey Man’ and the shoot will be held in Batam, Indonesia and it is directed by actor Dev Patel. At first I was a little sceptical due to the current pandemic situation and the duration of the shoot was quite long. Nevertheless, I accepted the offer,” Ravi told Citizens Journal Malaysia (CJMY) in an interview.

“I was extremely excited as I got to know the cast list of actors in the movie and I have been a huge fan of them ever since childhood as I grew up watching them. And when I got this offer I felt like it’s a dream come true and it was too good to be true.”

Ravi, who has returned home after two months of filming in Batam, said it was an enjoyable and positive experience for him acting out his part of the character.

“I’m playing as a bad cop in the movie and my role requires me to be very aggressive. It was not difficult as I have played multiple villain roles previously and in every project there are different experiences and different method of acting expectations from the directors, but I gave my best and they complimented my work which encouraged me to do even better.”

The movie which started shooting since late September 2020 and ended on early March this year is set to premiere by streamer Netflix in early 2022.

Netflix has bought the worldwide rights for Dev Patel’s directional debut ‘Monkey Man’ in a US30 million deal in a recent news report. The Oscar-nominee Indian-origin British actor co-wrote, directed and starred in the movie which is a co-production between BRON Studios and Thunder Road Pictures, in association with Creative Wealth Media.

Ravi grew up in Kuala Lumpur studying hospitality and tourism at KDU University College. He started doing TV commercials and dramas projects during his university time. After graduation, he started doing full-time into movies through his connections in the industry which he made during his university days.

He has made a name for himself acting in a variety of successful multiple projects from drama series to movies which were screened in Chinese, Indonesian and South Indian cinemas.

In 2019, Ravi got a big break in a Malaysian movie ‘Mat Kilau’ as one of the lead villains. The epic historical film, which tells about the great Malay warrior who fought against the British in Pahang in the 1880s, was directed by award-winning director Syamsul Yusof.

Ravi is passionate and positive about what he does. His Hollywood debut is a big moment in his acting career which will surely help build his profile and he’s looking to get more golden opportunities.

“I would love to make a debut in Bollywood industry and if I’m lucky enough then I’d love to do more Hollywood projects and getting a leading role.”

When Ravi is not focussed on film projects and other commitments, he explores his interests in modelling and entrepreneurial activity.

‘Monkey Man’ tells the story of a kid (Dev Patel) who emerges from prison and lives in the street and slowly he started to face a world that is greedy for a party and power. Set in modern-day India, the revenge action thriller film has elements of Indian mythology. The cast also includes Zakir Hussain (The Legend), Ashwini Kalsekar, Vipin Sharma, Makarand Deshpande, Pitobash, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sikander Kher and Ravi Patel.