Since the first trailer of Kitao Sakurai’s adaptation When Street Fighter was released in May, fans were excited about a movie that ‘isn’t ashamed to look like Street Fighter’. A game-accurate adaptation, the film departs from previous adaptations by attempting to give fans what they really want. In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, director Kitao Sakurai talks about why he wanted to cast every major Street Fighter II character in the film and how Vidyut Jammwal’s Dhalsim surprised everyone.
‘It doesn’t feel like Street Fighter without Dhalsim’
Kitao is a fan of sports, and he says he was sure about one thing when it came to sports. “I really wanted every major Street Fighter II character in the movie.” The 1991 arcade game remains one of the best-selling video games in history and has become a pop culture phenomenon. But there were some obstacles to this desire.
Kitao explains, “There were some characters that were more intriguing, or people were more nervous to move forward. Dhalsim was one of them. In the beginning, some people felt that character was at risk of being interpreted as a caricature. But I said it doesn’t feel like Street Fighter without Dhalsim. So, I knew she needed to feel really cool and powerful and authentic, with a real connection to India.”
Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim
The filmmaker admits that he talked to others before casting Vidyut Jammwal for the role of Dhalsim in the film, but says that once Vidyut came into the picture, his casting made sense. “We were watching a group of people, and nothing was clicking right, and then someone connected me with Vidyut. We got on a Zoom call together, and there was this instant connection. As a person, he’s even more Dhalsim than Dhalsim. He’s a fifth-generation sadhu, he speaks Sanskrit and is a literal guru of yoga and martial arts. And so for him, the idea of playing Dhalsim was an incredible opportunity to put forward who he is, ” says the filmmaker.
Kitao is influenced by Vidyut as an actor and martial artist. The filmmaker recalls his time on the set: “Every time he appeared on the screen, you just said, ‘This isn’t real.’ The way he moves is incredible. He has some incredible fight scenes, and his ability to control his body seems superhuman. Everyone was very impressed with him.”
The character named Dhalsim was originally a caricature of Indian yogis. But Kitao says times have changed, and the character must evolve as well, leaning toward its cultural roots without mocking them. “What we can do is do justice to where the character really came from and all the rich lineage he came from. That was the way to choose Vidyut. Whenever I talk about him in the film I get emotional because there is a special energy when you see him on screen. I feel very lucky that he became a part of this strange family we have created,” he says.
About Street Fighter
Street Fighter is the third live-action feature-length film based on Capcom’s Street Fighter video game series. It features a stellar cast including Noah Centineo, Andrew Kozy, Kailyn Liang, Roman Reigns, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Eric Andre, Andrew Schultz, Vidyut Jammwal, 50 Cent and Jason Momoa. This film will be released in theaters on 16 October.