Vidyut Jammwal bagged his Hollywood debut in Street Fighter without an agent or auditions. Director Kitao Sakurai reached out after watching his films. Vidyut said, “I can mention Priyanka Chopra for sure. What she has done for the country is incredible.” He plays the mystical yogi Dhalsim in the movie.
Vidyut Jammwal says he wasn't seeking Hollywood opportunities. However, Street Fighter director Kitao Sakurai watched his interviews and films and decided to reach out to him.
Interestingly, most debuts by Indian actors in Hollywood largely came through actioners – Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Quantico, Deepika Padukone in xXx: Return Of Xander Cage, Anil Kapoor in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Dhanush in The Gray Man. The latest to join the league is Vidyut Jammwal, who’s now gearing up for the release of Kitao Sakurai’s Street Fighter.
What does he have to say about those before him, who paved the way for Indian actors in Hollywood and encouraged that industry to consider more Indian talent? “I can’t vouch for that truth but it could be possible. India’s already on the global map. People know india so well. All these actors I worked with on Street Fighter have been to India several times," he tells News18 exclusively.
“The director is Japanese-American and he knows about our country more than many Indians do. He’s one of the few people I’ve met, who can pronounce the martial art (kalaripayattu) I do with brilliance. These guys already know about it," he adds. Lauding Priyanka, however, he remarks, “I can mention Priyanka Chopra for sure. What she has done for the country is incredible in terms of cinema."
In Street Fighter, Vidyut plays Dhalsim, a mystical yogi. The film also stars Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and Jason Momoa, among others. What makes him particularly thrilled is that Capcom’s eponymous video game series on which this film is based, has an Indian character and how Kitao has retained the element of ‘authenticity’ in the film.
Back in 2019, Vidyut’s Junglee director Chuck Russell of The Mask and Eraser fame highly praised him, stating that Hollywood franchises would be lucky to have him and that he’s fully equipped to headline global action properties. But the Thupakki and Commando actor tells us that he didn’t receive any calls for any international film before Street Fighter.
Vidyut goes on to reveal that neither did he hire an agent in the USA nor was he actively seeking Hollywood opportunities. So, how did Street Fighter happen? “It just did. Kitao’s very passionate and he was very sure about the eleven main fighters in the film. His research is what led him to me, and that’s what destiny has done," he shares.
“I got a call from these guys and I got to speak to the director. We had a lot of chats, but before he had a conversation with me, he had watched most of my interviews and a lot of my movies. To have a conversation with someone who’s so well-prepared about what he’s looking for, made me feel I’m in safe hands," he adds.
Vidyut auditioned once and the next thing he knew, he was on the sets of Street Fighter. Lauding Kitao and his team, Vidyut states he appreciates the dedication and hard work they displayed to find him. “I feel good about the fact that there was a hunt for somebody who they believed could play Dhalsim to the T. The effort they put in to find me was incredible," he says.