Yoga Fire or Dumpster Fire? Why Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim is a Complicated Win for Indian Rep

Let’s get one thing straight before we yoga-flame into the comments section: I am a 90s kid. I grew up worshipping at the altar of the arcade. I watched Jean-Claude Van Damme play Guile in 1994 and thought it was peak cinema. I am predisposed to adore any attempt to revive the Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat universe. But when the news broke that our very own action-star supreme Vidyut Jammwal might be donning the skulls and saffron paint to play Dhalsim in a new iteration of the franchise, my reaction was... complicated. It’s a mix of nostalgic glee and a deep, cynical sigh.

The American Melting Pot (of Stereotypes)

We have to talk about the context. America is a sad country in one very specific regard: it lacks an ancient, unifying culture. To compensate, they manufactured Pop Culture to homogenise their population, a way to get everyone from Nebraska to New York to participate in the same economy efficiently. In India, we don’t need that; our culture is ancient, stubborn, and everywhere. But in the US, they need these "Alternative Universes" like the World Warriors of Street Fighter to make sense of diversity. The problem? These universes rely on shorthand. They rely on stereotypes.

The "Fighter Baba" Problem

And that brings us to Dhalsim. Let’s be real: Dhalsim is problematic. He is a bastardisation of Indian culture, packaged into a "Fighter Baba" aesthetic that screams exoticism. He is the video game equivalent of Apu from The Simpsons a caricature that has haunted the diaspora for decades. We’ve seen this movie before. We saw The Simpsons retire Apu because a white guy voicing a brown stereotype didn't fly anymore. We saw The Big Bang Theory turn Kunal Nayyar’s Raj into a desexualised mascot, the only guy in the group who couldn’t get the girl (until he finally did, but the damage was done). Even Aziz Ansari had to fight tooth and nail to break out of that box. So, here we are in the 2020s, and we are asking Vidyut Jammwal, a man who is physically capable of kicking a hole through a tank to play a character known for stretching his limbs and spitting fire like a circus act. It feels underwhelming. It feels like we are revisiting a trope that should have died with the dial-up modem.

The Gen Z Disconnect

I’m a millennial pushing 40 (don’t do the math), but I work with enough Gen Zs to know that they sniff out inauthenticity like a shark smells blood. I struggle to reconcile how Dhalsim appeals to a modern audience. Whether it’s third-culture kids in New Jersey or Gen Zs in Mumbai, are they going to vibe with this? It doesn't feel like it's pandering to the Indian audience successfully; it feels like it's pandering to an American idea of what an Indian fighter should be.

The Vidyut Factor: Can He Save It?

However, I’m not writing this off entirely. I’m skeptically optimistic. It is genuinely great to see Indian talent getting space in Western cinema. Priyanka Chopra rode the pop-culture train to global domination. Deepika made her mark. And if anyone can physically embody a fighting game character without looking ridiculous, it is Vidyut. The key lies in the execution. If the VFX team brings their A-game, and if the writers can give Dhalsim some actual depth beyond "Yoga Flame," there is hope. Maybe they lean into the "Camp" of it all. Maybe Dhalsim is a nickname? Maybe they acknowledge the absurdity. If they treat it with the same dead-serious, whitewashed energy that ruined The Legend of Chun-Li (sorry, Kristin Kreuk, you should have stayed in Smallville), this will flop harder than the "Legend of Chun-Li" did at the box office.

The Verdict

Ultimately, the box office is the final judge. But if I had to place a bet? I predict this will pass the "Pander Point." It won’t be a masterpiece, but it won’t be an unmitigated disaster if they let Vidyut do what he does best.

My Prediction: ★★★☆☆ (3/5 Stars)

Here’s hoping the franchise has legs even if Dhalsim’s legs are stretching across the screen to kick someone in the face. I’m rooting for Vidyut, even if I’m side-eyeing the material.