#hanuman

[aratinganana]

Imagine if Sun Wukong (the Monkey King of China) and Hanuman (the simian God of India) met? I think Wukong would easily make friends with him

[zal-cryptid]

Some flowcharts I made for some reason

[mannyblacque]

Monkey Man fan art by Entei Ryu | Instagram

[sunncourts]

for me, the heart of monkey man was its immense love for india, and the confidence of articulating that love through representation and criticism—the things that make india beautiful are not the colorist, hindu-nationalist propoganda stories of bollywood but largeness of the diaspora: indians who trans, who are muslim, who have been oppressed by their government, who are unacknowledged by society, etc—and prevail despite the odds stacked against them. they are encouraged to be themselves and fight against these occupational forces.

major props to dev patel for showing that hey, you actually can make a movie about indians in a way that perfectly encapsulates the various cultures, mythologies, AND egregious political climate, while also highlighting indian people and giving them the recognition and respect they often don't recieve in western—OR bollywood—canon. now that we know it's possible (it always was) i want more! thanks!

(also it helped that he was either in a suit, shirtless, or covered in blood [sometimes two at a time] for most of this movie. dev patel, i literally only need one chance...)

[vintagegeekculture]

"Hanuman vs. the Seven Ultramen" (1974) is an oddity that shows a fusion of Thai and Japanese culture. Like everywhere else in Asia, the laser shooting, judo-flipping giant hero Ultraman, who battles dinosaurs and space creatures in rubber suits, was immensely popular in the Elephant Kingdom. Thailand after all, was closely western-aligned politically (aiding the US in the Vietnam War, for example, sending over 40,000 of the Royal Army "King Cobra" soldiers to serve, for example) and so they had a lot of cultural influx and influence from Japan and the USA.

It was inevitable that a knockoff would be produced in Thailand, this time guest-starring the mythological hero of Thailand, Hanuman. Thailand, like many of their neighbors in Southeast Asia, are far more culturally influenced by India than by China. In fact, Thai Buddhism is of the Indian school (now extinct in its country of origin) instead of the Buddhism practiced in China and the Chinese-influenced world. If you have ever studied Thai Kickboxing (Muay Thai), you would know that images of Hanuman are often used as decor in Muay Thai gyms, as he was god of hand to hand combat, battle, speed, and power.

In this film, Hanuman does not fight the Ultramen, however, as instead, he merges with a boy with a mask in a temple, in much the same way that Ultraman merges with humans. Hanuman battles several monsters with his trident and martial arts techniques like the "hanu-hurricane," but eventually gets much needed assistance from several Ultramen, available through spliced in footage.

[moishe-pipick]

"All the difficult tasks of the world become easy by your grace."

- Hanuman Chalisa

[rhysaka]

The way he steps down lmao I LOVE THIS