The titular “monkey man” is a persona of gritty underground fighting embraced by Dev Patel’s character, an unnamed man from the slums who conceals his identity with an ape mask and engages in underground brawls. His backstory, revealed through flashbacks, connects deeply with religious narratives, drawing inspiration from his mother’s (played by Adithi Kalkunte) tales of Hanuman, the monkey-like demigod from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.