Mumbai: Actor Vidyut Jammwal has weighed in on the portrayal of Indians in Western cinema, arguing that stereotypes about Indian communities are not solely perpetuated by foreign filmmakers.
He believes Indians themselves have often reinforced such stereotypes through their on-screen representations.
Jammwal, who plays Dhalsim, an Indian yogi and martial artist, in the upcoming video game adaptation Street Fighter, says he has been impressed by how well his international collaborators understand Indian culture.
The project, which marks his Hollywood debut, has also prompted him to reflect on how Indian cinema represents its own communities.
“They see us exactly the way we are meant to be seen; only we think they see us differently,” he says, reflecting on whether Indian actors continue to be offered roles shaped by familiar stereotypes.
Citing the portrayal of Sardars in Indian films, the actor points to how the industry has frequently reduced its own communities to stereotypical characters.
“We Indians have a problem, we see Sardars as somebody you can joke about in movies till people like Diljit Dosanjh and other spectacular Sardars came,” he said.
Jammwal also spoke about his co-stars’ connections with India.
He noted that 50 Cent has visited the country several times, while Jason Momoa’s interest in Indian culture and Cody Rhodes’ curiosity about Indian audiences have challenged his assumptions about how international stars perceive India.
“50 has come to India more than a lot of Indians living abroad. Jason loves everything he knows about India, and Cody wants to come to India because he believes what Roman has told him, that Indians are crazy about watching action live,” he said.
For Jammwal, representation extends beyond how India is depicted in international cinema. He believes the country’s diverse cultural traditions and identities deserve to be understood and portrayed with greater depth.
He emphasises that Dhalsim represents far more than yoga, highlighting the character’s connection to martial arts and the dedication required to master them.
“But Dhalsim is not just a yogi, he is the Kalaripayatt practitioner. He’s a person who’s dedicated his life to martial arts and we Indians are like this. We’ve dedicated our lives to so many things. We are the flag bearers of yoga, martial arts. In the real sense,” he said.
The actor also sees a personal connection between himself and Dhalsim, whose discipline, philosophy and approach to fighting resonate with his own outlook on life.
“It’s a complete autobiographical role for me. Like, everything, like he’s a yogi who will fight for a cause otherwise he’ll not fight. He’s highly skilled but he will only fight if he has to really stand up for a cause. His breathing is one of his fortes and I enjoy breathing a lot in awareness. I talk about it, I post videos on it, I do stories on it, I display it. So it was like quite, it was meant to come to me,” he said.
Jammwal is equally impressed by the effort the film’s team put into finding an Indian actor who could bring the character to life.
According to him, the producers and director researched his work and personality before approaching him for the role.
“The first thing was that the producer and the director have really worked on looking for this character. Like the hard work they’ve done to find an Indian actor with the character that they wanted to merge of Street Fighter. The research they’ve done is incredible,” he said.
His first conversation with director Kitao Sakurai further reinforced that impression.
Jammwal said he was struck by the fact that Sakurai, whom he described as Japanese-American, had watched his films and interviews to understand him better.
“When I spoke to the director who’s Japanese-American, I was impressed with the fact that he really has watched my movies. He’s watched my interviews to know that if he’s the real thing. And for me, it was amazing. It was easy for me to experience somebody who’s done everything, all the research. He knows everything about me, my past, my meditations. And the first call was about everything about breathing and how I do it. So, it was good to be in a conversation with somebody who knows more about you than a lot of people,” he said.
Sakurai’s sensitivity towards cultural nuances has also left a lasting impression on the actor.
“Kitao, who’s a Japanese-born American, is so particular about the sensibility of the culture and the religion that it impresses me,” Jammwal said, adding that the experience has challenged his assumptions about how people from outside India understand the country’s traditions and beliefs.
