# Street Fighter director and co-stars heap praise on Vidyut Jammwal's Dhalsim

Published 2026-10-10T02:53:14Z

> Director Kitao Sakurai and co-stars Cody Rhodes and Andrew Schulz have praised Vidyut Jammwal's turn as Dhalsim in the live-action Street Fighter, which reaches theatres on October 16.

Vidyut Jammwal plays the yoga master Dhalsim in the live-action Street Fighter, and his director and co-stars are full of praise for him ahead of the film's October 16 theatrical release. Reports say it opens in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Director Kitao Sakurai said some people were nervous about including Dhalsim at all, because they feared the character could be read as a caricature. He pushed back: "It doesn't feel like Street Fighter without Dhalsim." Sakurai wanted every major Street Fighter II fighter in the film, and he wanted Dhalsim to feel cool, powerful and authentic, with a real link to India.

Other actors were considered first, Sakurai admitted, but nothing clicked until a Zoom call with Vidyut. "As a person, he's more Dhalsim than even Dhalsim is," the director said. He called the actor a fifth-generation monk who speaks Sanskrit and has mastered yoga and martial arts. On set, Sakurai added, the way Vidyut controlled his body felt supernatural.

Co-stars Cody Rhodes and Andrew Schulz were just as impressed on a YouTube podcast. Schulz called him "the Jackie Chan of India" and said ten generations of his family have practised martial arts. Rhodes, the wrestler, said Vidyut left Dhalsim's skull necklace from the film on his bus on his last day of shooting, along with a handwritten note. Rhodes's daughter was born during filming, and Vidyut gave him two shawls as well.

The podcast chat began with a clip of Vidyut meditating for 15 minutes at a promotional event in Mumbai. Schulz's verdict was "True monk." Rhodes said everyone who met Vidyut left convinced they had met the most handsome man ever seen.

## Related titles
- [Street Fighter](https://clapnumber.com/movies/street-fighter)

## Related people
- [Andrew Schulz](https://clapnumber.com/celebrities/andrew-schulz)
- [Cody Rhodes](https://clapnumber.com/celebrities/cody-rhodes)
- [Jackie Chan](https://clapnumber.com/celebrities/jackie-chan)
- [Kitao Sakurai](https://clapnumber.com/celebrities/kitao-sakurai)
- [Vidyut Jammwal](https://clapnumber.com/celebrities/vidyut-jammwal)

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Source: https://clapnumber.com/news/street-fighter-director-and-co-stars-heap-praise-on-vidyut-jammwals-dhalsim
Retrieved: 2026-10-10