[Source: AP]

“Faith can be such a beautiful, powerful thing. It can bring us together. At its best, it should make us fight for each other instead of fighting against each other,” says Patel, who is making his feature directorial and screenwriting debut with the action thriller out Friday.

“Monkey Man” was inspired by the legend of Hanuman — a Hindu deity revered for his strength, loyalty and courage. Patel says that he saw a lot of parallels between Hindu mythology and the iconography of the superheroes that we know of today, like Superman.

The film centers on a character named Kid — played by Patel — who makes a living working in an underground fight club and who later seeks to avenge his mother’s horrific death by infiltrating the elite class of a Mumbai-like city.

“Every day I’ve prayed for a way to protect the weak,” Kid says in a scene from the film’s trailer. Throughout the film, we learn that his mission extends beyond his family. Patel’s character becomes a symbol of freedom, seeking justice for those who have been oppressed and displaced in the name of power, money and religion.

“We’re talking about religion and how religion can weaponize a large mass of people. And it can be used to a horrible extent to inflict violence. At the same time, it can be such a beautiful teacher,” Patel says. “The iconographies, the stories, the morals of right and wrong and courage, there’s this duality to it. … You look at these old temple carvings in India and it was so much more free, open, and radical in a way.”

The Oscar-nominated British actor grew up inspired by action heroes like Bruce Lee and fell in love with action films at a young age.

“I was like, ‘I can use a genre that I love so dearly to talk about the caste system,’” he says. “It came from a place of rage too, against what was happening in India. And it happens everywhere, really.”

The film is “is pointedly political in its fictionalized echoes of modern, Modi-led India,” Associated Press film critic Jake Coyle wrote in his review, referencing its skewering of Hindu nationalism. ( In India, where movies and politics are often intertwined, “Monkey Man” is still awaiting clearance by the country’s censor board and doesn’t yet have a confirmed release date.) For Patel, the film, which features many Indian actors, speaks to issues of violence against women, the caste system and police brutality — all issues that he says that, while taking place in India in the film, are also universal.