Director Kitao Sakurai says Vidyut Jammwal brings real authenticity to his role as Dhalsim in the new Street Fighter movie

Director Kitao Sakurai says the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Street Fighter aims to feature every major character from the popular 1991 arcade game. Speaking about the project, Sakurai revealed that including the character Dhalsim caused some initial hesitation because people worried he might look like a caricature.

Casting Dhalsim

Sakurai insisted the movie needed Dhalsim to feel authentic and powerful. After looking at several actors, he connected with Indian action star Vidyut Jammwal over a Zoom call. Sakurai describes Jammwal as a literal master of yoga and martial arts who is a fifth-generation monk and speaks Sanskrit. The filmmaker praised Jammwal's incredible physical control and stunt work on set, noting that his presence blew everyone away and brought genuine cultural roots to the role.

Release Details

Street Fighter is the third live-action feature film based on Capcom's video game series. The movie features a large ensemble cast that includes Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Roman Reigns, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Eric André, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, 50 Cent, and Jason Momoa. It is scheduled to release in theatres on October 16.

Context

Video game adaptations have historically struggled to please fans by moving too far away from source material. Modern filmmakers often try to fix past mistakes by involving authentic cultural talent and sticking closer to original character rosters.