Mumbai: Actor Vidyut Jammwal believes Indian cinema has the ability to create action spectacles just like Hollywood, as both industries work with the same pool of technicians, with the key difference being the time and resources available to execute their vision.
Jammwal, who is making his Hollywood debut with ‘Street Fighter', the live-action adaptation of the popular video game of the same name, gave the example of SS Rajamouli's ‘Baahubali' franchise.
“We work with the same technicians as they do, and there is no difference. In my movies, I’ve worked with the best in the world, and they are the same people who work over there. I think the difference is that what we shoot in 10 days, they shoot in four months. The liberty of time, the luxury of spending too much time to create something, is what they have that we don't normally use.”
"But now that's what we are doing. If you see movies like ‘Baahubali’, they have taken a while to be made. And because they have taken a while, you can see the results,” the actor, best known for headlining action movies such as ‘Force ', ‘Commando’ franchise, and ‘Khuda Hafiz ', told PTI in an interview.
In ‘Street Fighter’, Jammwal features alongside a star-studded Hollywood cast of Andrew Koji, Noah Centineo, Jason Momoa, Callina Liang, Roman Reigns, Orville Peck, Cody Rhodes, Andrew Schulz, Curtis ‘50 Cent' Jackson and David Dastmalchian.
The movie, directed by Kitao Sakurai of ‘Bad Trip’ and ‘Aardvark' fame, is set in 1993 and follows estranged fighters Ryu (Koji) and Ken (Centineo), who are recruited by Chun-Li (Liang) to compete in the World Warrior Tournament.
However, the competition takes a dangerous turn as they uncover a deadly conspiracy that forces them to confront each other and their pasts.
The 45-year-old actor said he had never planned to work in the West and viewed it as another step in his career, much like his foray into the South Indian film industry, where he featured in Telugu and Tamil films such as ‘Sakthi’, ‘Thuppakki' and ‘Madharaasi'.
"It was like me being an actor from India, me doing Indian action movies, me representing India. So, I think they needed somebody from India who was famous, who could do it and who has lived this up. It was an author-backed role for me,” he said, adding that he auditioned for the movie after the director reached out to him following extensive research about his body of work.
The actor said his experience of working on a Hollywood production was different because everything was “very well planned”.
“They are very well planned. Their insurance laws are very different from ours. Like, you cannot do anything that is not on paper.
"I love rollerblading, so after my shoot I would prefer going on my rollerblades back to my hotel. But then I got a letter from the legal team, saying that I could get injured."
In the movie, Jammwal essays the role of Dalsim, a yogi with fire-spitting abilities, a fundamentally peaceful man who fights to support his family.
Jammwal said he had never played the video game, which became a global gaming phenomenon since its debut in 1987, spawning multiple sequels, animated adaptations, and a lasting legacy in competitive gaming.
That's why he relied solely on the director's vision to portray Dhalsim.
"He (director) wanted me to just play myself. The character of Dhalsim is a martial artist and Kalaripayattu. So, I didn't have to prepare for anything; I just needed to know a lot more about the game,” said Jammwal, who is also trained in the traditional Indian martial arts Kalaripayattu.
Going forward, Jammwal said he would continue being part of “action” films as that's his favourite genre.
“The only thing I ever wanted to do was action... It didn't matter if I got like a 15-minute role or a bit role; I just wanted to do action. So, for me, my first movie ‘Shakti’ (the 2011 Telugu film), I had an imperceptible role, and then the second one also. But I was enjoying doing action,” Jammwal said, adding he considers Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee among his action icons.
In Hindi cinema, the actor said he is thrilled about teaming up with Tiger Shroff for an upcoming action film.
"There is one movie that Tiger and I are working on. We are looking for a director. We both have always believed that he and I deserve somebody who raises the bar (in action) as a director,” he said.
‘Street Fighter’ will be released in theatres in India on October 16 in four languages -- English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
