Bollywood action star Vidyut Jammwal will appear as Dhalsim in the upcoming big-screen reboot of Street Fighter, and his action movie resume should not be overlooked by Western audiences. While Street Fighter is one of the most popular and enduring video game titles ever-created, its success as a cinematic property has been much more mixed. Between 1994’s successful but goofy Street Fighter, 2009’s mega-flop Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, and the popular streaming series Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist and Street Fighter: Resurrection (which unfortunately did not lead to their planned series culmination Street Fighter: World Warrior), Street Fighter has certainly had its ups and downs.
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With the upcoming Street Fighter movie having already cast much of the Street Fighter roster, the addition of Vidyut Jammwal as the Yoga-fire-wielding Dhalsim adds a genuine Bollywood action movie legend to the ensemble. A lifelong practitioner of the ancient Indian martial art Kalaripayattu, Jammwal has headlined some outstanding action films in his career in Bollywood. Here are five Vidyut Jammwal action movies that Street Fighter fans should see before the upcoming World Warrior tournament on the big-screen.
1.) Commando: A One Man Army (2013)
Jammwal’s action movie breakout came in 2013’s Bollywood hit Commando: A One Man Army, with Jammwal portraying Indian commando Karan Singh Droga. After escaping captivity in China over being falsely accused of being a spy, Karan bumps into Simrit (Pooja Chopra), a girl fleeing a local gang led by local mobster “AK-74” (Jaideep Ahlawat), who is trying to force Simrit into a marriage for political power. Jammwal’s fight scenes and stunts make Commando a blast for action fans, with the movie giving Jammwal a strong launch as a Bollywood action hero, and one that international action fans should certainly take note of.
2.) Commando 2: The Black Money Trail (2017)
Jammwal returns as Karan in the 2017 sequel Commando 2: The Black Money Trail, with Karan now sent on a mission to put a stop to a money-laundering operation led by mysterious Indian crime boss Vicky Chadra (Esha Gupta). Commando 2 hits the ground running with a phenomenal opening action sequence of Jammwal on a mission to raid a criminal stronghold that makes Commando 2 worth the admission price all on its own. The opening also sets the stage for the movie’s superb action sequences and cat-and-mouse game shouldered by Jammwal, including a superb final showdown on a Mumbai rooftop. Commando 2 is a highly energetic and very action-packed sequel, and another highlight of Vidyut Jammwal’s career in action movies.
3.) Commando 3 (2019)
Jammwal returns as Karan once more in Commando 3, with the movie shifting the setting from India to London, but keeping the action and stunts as strong as ever. Jackie Chan Stunt Team Member Andy Long Nguyen steps in as fight choreographer and delivers some of the best action of the Commando franchise yet, while Jammwal’s Karan brings his physical dexterity to a new mission to stop a terrorist group in London. Commando 3‘s fight sequences and stunts (including some devilish parkour chases in the urban landscape of London) keep the series going strong, with Jammwal’s Karan once more every bit the dynamic action hero of Commando 3‘s two predecessors.
4.) Junglee (2019)
Hollywood director Chuck Russell, well known for his work on hits like The Blob, The Mask, and The Scorpion King, made his Bollywood directorial debut with 2019’s animal-friendly action movie Junglee, with Vidyut Jammwal anchoring the movie as veterinarian Dr. Raj Nair. After being framed for the killing of two elephants in his sanctuary by elephant poachers, Raj breaks free to fight the gang and put a stop to their elephant poaching operation. As a kind of Bollywood combo of John Wick and Tony Jaa’s Tom Yum Goong, Junglee is one of the purest showcases of Jammwal’s mastery of Kalaripayattu in his career, capturing the beauty of the ancient martial art in Jammwal’s training sequences along with its power in his fight scenes. While a bit smaller scale than the Commando movies, Junglee is nonetheless another action-packed winner on Vidyut Jammwal’s resume.
5.) Sanak (2021)
Vidyut Jammwal gained wider exposure among Western action fans with the 2021 release of his streaming action movie Sanak, which debuted on Hulu in the West and stands as quite arguably his best action movie to date. In Sanak, Jammwal portrays MMA trainer Vivaan Ahuja, whose wife is forced to undergo a major heart operation. Unfortunately, she just happens to be in a Mumbai hospital the very night that a terrorist gang takes over, holding everyone inside hostage to rescue their imprisoned leader, with Vivaan as the only hope for the hostages. Sanak marks Jammwal’s second collaboration with Andy Long Nguyen, with the duo delivering outstanding fight sequences with a clear Jackie Chan-influence spliced with the DNA of Die Hard and The Raid in the movie’s single location premise. A major highlight in Vidyut Jammwal’s career in Bollywood action movies, Sanak is a must-see for all Street Fighter fans preparing to see what he brings to his portrayal of Dhalsim.
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