Actor and martial artist Vidyut Jammwal is set to make his Hollywood debut in Street Fighter, the live-action adaptation of Capcom’s arcade fighting game franchise that first hit cabinets in 1991. After a new trailer of the film dropped on Tuesday, Jammwal’s action sequences as Dhalsim have been drawing praise online with viewers commending his physical transformation.
Ahead of the October 16 release, the trailer sees Jammwal performing the character's signature stretching and yoga-based combat style. Set in 1993, the film follows the estranged fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken (Noah Centineo) as they are drawn back into competition when Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament.
Dhalsim, introduced in Street Fighter II in 1991, is known among fans for his fire-based attacks, teleportation and elastic limbs, drawing on his in-universe background as a yogi from India. Jammwal’s casting marks the character’s first live-action portrayal since Roshan Seth played Dhalsim in the previous Street Fighter (1994) film.
Predominantly working in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu films, Jammwal is known for the action franchise Commando (2013), as well as films including Khuda Haafiz (2020) and Junglee (2019). Trained in the Kerala martial art Kalaripayattu, he has built his career on performing his own stunts and his casting as Dhalsim has been read as a milestone for Indian representation in a major Hollywood franchise.
The film also stars Andrew Koji as Ryu and Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, with Callina Liang as Chun-Li. The supporting cast includes WWE stars Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa'i as Akuma and Cody Rhodes as Guile, Jason Momoa as Blanka, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Balrog and Eric André as the announcer Don Sauvage.
Street Fighter is directed by Kitao Sakurai from a screenplay by T.J. Fixman, and is produced by Legendary Pictures in collaboration with Capcom. The film is slated to release in India and internationally on October 16.