From playing David Copperfield to being a contender for James Bond, Dev Patel has cemented himself as one of the most exciting talents in cinema. Having started on British television, the young actor has also been part of numerous Oscar-nominated projects.
With the release of his latest film, Monkey Man, his first as director, we look at the already illustrious career of Patel, marking the constant highs and rare lows.
Shakespeare and Taekwondo
The son of a care worker and an IT consultant, Patel was born in Harrow, London, in 1990. His parents are Gujarati Indians who migrated from Kenya separately, meeting in England.
Patel’s creative endeavours started early, participating in school plays from a young age. His first role was of Sir Andrew Aguecheek in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Also active in sports, Patel pursued training in Korean martial art Taekwondo from 2000 to 2006. His training led him up the rankings to reach black belt by the time he was 16 years old. He wasn’t just content with training though, as he partook in tournaments, earning himself a Bronze at the 2004 Taekwondo World Championships.
The Skins Era
A young Patel joined the cast of hit television show Skins in 2007. The teen drama series boasted a trove of talents from the British Isles, most of whom have gone on to become celebrated comedians and Oscar winners.
Among the cast were names such as Mad Max: Fury Road’s Nicholas Hoult, Unbroken star Jack O'Connell, stand-up comic Chris Addison, The Maze Runner’s Kaya Scodelario and Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya.
Patel appeared in 18 episodes of the show as Anwar. Concluding in 2013 and winning two Bafta awards, Skins's popularity has grown over the years since its young cast’s rise to global fame through other projects.
Slumdog's Oscar sweep
After his appearance on Skins, Patel was cast in the leading role of Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan’s Indian opus Slumdog Millionaire. The film was a box office sensation, earning more than $375m in global ticket sales against its $15m budget.
The film was also a top contender at the 2009 Academy Awards, earning 10 nominations and taking home eight wins, including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Achievement in Directing.
Patel’s portrayal of main character Jamal was praised for being sympathetic and full of life. Film critic Roger Ebert said of Patel’s performance in the film: “He is Oliver Twist. High-spirited and defiant in the worst of times, he survives.”
The film’s success made Patel a recognisable face the world over, but he took his time to rise, stumbling with some choices and excelling with others.
Sleeper hits and epic misses
As Patel was still celebrating the success of Slumdog Millionire, he was cast in M Night Shyamalan’s live action adaptation of the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series.
Despite the film’s big studio backing, it was panned by critics and fans. The film was criticised for straying from the original material, making changes that ultimately weakened the story and its characters.
Not to be disheartened, Patel chose his next project wisely, as it became a surprise success. Returning to India, the young actor was cast in 2011’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel alongside titans of British cinema including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson.
The comedy film made around $150m in box office returns despite its meagre budget of $10m. Its success was capitalised on, as a sequel was produced and released four years later in 2015 with Patel returning.
In the interim between the two films, Patel was cast in Aaron Sorkin’s HBO drama The Newsroom that ran for 25 episodes between 2012 and 2014, appearing in every episode of the show. The Newsroom was another hit for its director and writer Sorkin, who previously wrote the successful White House drama The West Wing.
Lion and The Green Knight
Between 2015 and 2021, Patel appeared in seven films. Most notably, Lion in 2016, which earned him his first and only Oscar nomination for best actor. The film, directed by Garth Davis, was nominated six times in total, including Best Motion Picture of the Year.
In 2021, Patel starred in A24’s The Green Knight, a fantastical medieval retelling of the tale of Sir Gawain. The film became something of a cult favourite.
Last year, Patel appeared in two Wes Anderson short films, Poison and the Oscar-winning The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. The two shorts marked the first collaborations between Patel and Anderson, a director famous for recasting actors in multiple films.
Behind the camera of Monkey Man
After years in front of the camera, Patel is now ready with his first directorial venture. Monkey Man, which also stars Patel, is an action film set in India that deals in themes of political corruption and revenge. The film, also written by him, was made on a shoestring budget and was produced by Jordan Peele’s production company Monkeypaw Productions.
Monkey Man has been applauded for its energetic fight scenes and using Patel's previous martial arts training. The film also stars South African actor Sharlto Copley and a host of Indian actors including Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Adithi Kalkunte and Sobhita Dhulipala.
Monkey Man is out in UAE cinemas on Thursday
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
