Ever since the first trailer for Kitao Sakurai’s adaptation of Street Fighter dropped in May, fans have been going gaga over the film that is ‘not ashamed to look like Street Fighter’. A game-accurate adaptation, the film strives to move away from previous adaptations and give fans what they really want. In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, director Kitao Sakurai talks about why he wanted to get every major Street Fighter II character in the film and how Vidyut Jammwal’s Dhalsim blew everyone away.
‘Doesn’t feel like Street Fighter without Dhalsim’
Kitao is a fan of the games, and he says he was certain about one thing when he came on board. “I really wanted every major Street Fighter II character in the movie.” The 1991 arcade game remains one of the bestselling video games in history and has become a pop culture phenomenon. But there were roadblocks to this desire.
Kitao explains, “There were certain characters that were trickier, or people were more nervous about putting forth. Dhalsim was one of them. Initially, some people felt there was a risk of having that character be interpreted as a caricature. But I said it doesn't feel like Street Fighter without Dhalsim. So, I knew he needed to feel really cool and powerful and authentic with a real connection to India.”
Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim
The filmmaker admits that they spoke to other people before zeroing in on Vidyut Jammwal to play Dhalsim in the film, but says once Vidyut came into the picture, his casting made sense. “We were looking at a bunch of people, and nothing was quite clicking, and then somebody connected me to Vidyut. We got on a Zoom call together, and it was this instant connection. As a person, he's more Dhalsim than even Dhalsim is. He's a fifth-generation monk, he speaks Sanskrit and is a literal master of yoga and martial arts. And so for him, the idea of playing Dhalsim was an incredible opportunity to put forth who he is,” says the filmmaker.
{{/usCountry}}The filmmaker admits that they spoke to other people before zeroing in on Vidyut Jammwal to play Dhalsim in the film, but says once Vidyut came into the picture, his casting made sense. “We were looking at a bunch of people, and nothing was quite clicking, and then somebody connected me to Vidyut. We got on a Zoom call together, and it was this instant connection. As a person, he's more Dhalsim than even Dhalsim is. He's a fifth-generation monk, he speaks Sanskrit and is a literal master of yoga and martial arts. And so for him, the idea of playing Dhalsim was an incredible opportunity to put forth who he is,” says the filmmaker.
{{/usCountry}}Kitao is in awe of Vidyut as an actor and a martial artist. The filmmaker recalls their time on set: “Every time he appeared on screen, you were just like, ‘That's not real.’ It's incredible the way he moves. He has a couple of incredible fight scenes, and just his ability to control his body felt supernatural. Everybody was just so taken by that.”
Dhalsim, the character, was originally a caricature of the Indian yogis. But Kitao says times have changed, and the character must evolve too, leaning into its cultural roots without making a mockery of them. “What we can do is do justice to where that character actually did come from and to all the rich lineages. That was the approach with casting Vidyut. I get emotional every time I talk about him in the movie because there's such a special energy when you see him on screen. I just feel so lucky that he became part of this weird family that we made,” he says.
About Street Fighter
Street Fighter is the third live-action feature-length film based on the Street Fighter video game series by Capcom. It features a large ensemble cast, including Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Roman Reigns, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Eric André, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, 50 Cent, and Jason Momoa. The film will release in theatres on October 16.