Dev Patel has been a prominent presence in the British film scene after his breakout role in Danny Boyle’s drama, Slumdog Millionaire. Since then, the London-born and bred actor has gone from strength to strength and even started to direct his own movies. Read on to discover the best Dev Patel movies and where to stream them.
After appearing on popular teen E4 series Skins, Patel made his feature film debut in Boyle’s adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s novel Q&A. In the cult classic, the actor plays 18-year-old Jamal Malik, a boy from a slum in Mumbai who wins the grand prize money on India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, only to be accused of cheating.
Slumdog Millionaire was a staggering success, grossing over $378 million on a $15 million budget and earning eight Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Patel was also nominated for Best Actor at the BAFTAS, where the film won Best Director and Best Film.
In the years that followed, Patel was at the center of comedy-dramas such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its 2015 sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton. The heart-warming movie was one of the highest grossing films of 2012, making $136.8 million on a $10 million budget.
From one success to another, Patel went onto star alongside Nicole Kidman in the drama, Lion, in 2016. His performance as Saroo Brierley was critically acclaimed and Patel won the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.
Alongside these big budget blockbusters, Patel has showcased the breadth of his talent across a host of independent films as well, such as The Green Knight, The Personal History of David Copperfield and Hotel Mumbai. Patel recently appeared in Wes Anderson’s short film that was an adaption of a Roald Dahl story, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
The actor is now behind the camera to bring audiences his first feature as the director and co-writer of Monkey Man. The film received wide-spread acclaim for Patel’s performance in the titular role, alongside Sharlto Copley, Pitobash Tripathy, Vipin Sharma and Sikandar Kher. Nope director Jordan Peele also served as a producer on the $10 million film, which currently has a 88% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
With a varied filmography to sift through, here are the best Dev Patel movies and where to watch them now.