Vidyut Jammwal

Early life

Vidyut Dev Singh Jammwal was born on 10 December 1980 in a Rajput family of Jammu, India. He is one of three children born to an Indian Army officer and lived in various parts of India (owing to his father's transferable job) and trained in Kalaripayattu in an ashram in Palakkad, Kerala which was run by his mother, since he was three years old. He traveled to many countries training with martial artists in various forms, some of which find their base in Kalaripayattu. Jammwal travelled to over 25 countries, where he performed in live action shows. Growing up, Jammwal was inspired by Jackie Chan.

Career

Early career and recognition (2011 – 2012)

Jammwal made his lead Bollywood debut with the John Abraham starrer action film Force (2011), a remake of the Tamil-language film Kaakha Kaakha. He played a negative role in the film and won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. In the same year, Jammwal featured in negative roles in the Telugu-language films Shakti and Oosaravelli, both starring NTR.

In 2012, Jammwal made his debut in Tamil cinema with Billa II, as the antagonist opposite Ajith Kumar which earned him critical appreciation. He also played the antagonist in Thuppakki opposite actor Vijay, which became a blockbuster. For his performance in the film, he received a SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role.

Martial arts films (2013–present)

Jammwal later acted in Hindi-language film Commando as a protagonist and performing real-world combat-based action without the aid of stuntmen. The film was showcased internationally for the first time in July 2013 at the Fantasia Film Fest in Montreal, followed by a screening at the Fantastic Fest in Texas in September 2013. He received positive feedback from international media and action directors, calling him India's answer to Bruce Lee and Tony Jaa. After the success of Commando, he played a sharpshooter cop in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Bullett Raja. In 2014, he played a supporting role in the Tamil-language film Anjaan, alongside Suriya. In 2017, he starred in Commando 2, the sequel to Commando, which became a box office success. Baadshaho was his next release that year in which he played Major Seher Singh, the movie did average business worldwide.

In 2019, Jammwal starred in American director Chuck Russell's first Bollywood film Junglee and Commando 3. The latter saw him returning to the Commando series and became the most successful film in the franchise. His next project was Tigmanshu Dhulia's Yaara, an official remake of the French film Les Lyonnais. Yaara was one of three films Vidyut signed for – the other two being large format films by director Ram Madhvani, creating an aura similar to the Hollywood flick 300. In 2020, he appeared in an action thriller Khuda Haafiz, which was inspired from real life events. The movie became his biggest opener ever and its sequel Khuda Haafiz Chapter II was announced with same leads. Hosted the show India’s Ultimate Warrior on Discovery, a series featuring Vidyut Jammwal. He also played the lead role in the movie Sanak. In 2024, Jammwal starred in the sports action film Crakk which he also produced; it emerged a major failure. Next up for Jammwal, he will be appearing in the upcoming Street Fighter movie as Dhalsim. It will mark his debut in Hollywood.

In the media

Jammwal has been part of a number of popular magazine lists. He ranked in *The Times of India'''s listing of India's Top 10 Most Desirable Men in 2012 and 2013. Men's Health declared him as List of Best Bodies and Top 5 Fittest Men in 2011 and 2012 respectively. In 2012, *People Magazine India '' listed him in as one of The Sexiest Men Alive. In 2014, he was honoured as PETA's Hottest Vegetarian along with Kangana Ranaut.

Personal life

Jammwal is a vegan and a rock climber.

On 1 September 2021, Vidyut Jamwal announced his engagement with Indian fashion designer Nandita Mahtani. In 2023, Jammwal and Mahtani broke their engagement.

Filmography

Film

• All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.

Television

Music video

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. Lohana, Avinash. (11 December 2015). "Vidyut Jammwal's birthday wishes 'ad' up". Mumbai Mirror.
2. (3 April 2013). "Vidyut Jamwal ready to be typecast as an action hero". [[The Times of India]].
3. (2018-07-30). "Vidyut Jamwal named one of the top 6 martial artistes in the world".
4. (March 2019). "Junglee Trailer Talk: Vidyut Jammwal and Kalaripayattu Save the Elephants".
5. (14 March 2018). "Vidyut made a new friend while shooting for Junglee. The movie was shot at Chandaka forest in Odisha. Chandaka forest in Odisha also known for elephant reserve.". Firstpost.
6. "Commando: I want to be unique, says Vidyut Jamwal". [[The Times of India]].
7. "विद्युत जामवाल बर्थडे: बॉलीवुड एक्टर के बारे में ये बातें बिल्कुल नहीं जानते होंगे आप".
8. Radhakrishnan, Manjusha. (11 April 2013). "Vidyut Jamwal: I was born to do action". [[Gulf News]].
9. (11 August 2014). "Kalaripayattu connected me to my soul: Vidyut Jammwal". The Times of India.
10. Dipannita Ghosh Biswas. (8 November 2011). "Post debut, actor Vidyut Jammwal on a high". Daily News and Analysis.
11. (25 October 2021). "Exclusive! Vidyut Jammwal: Used to watch Jackie Chan movies and try to copy him".
12. Kunal Guha. (7 September 2011). "This guy will fight John in Force".
13. (30 April 2012). "Vidyut Jamwal, actor". [[The New Indian Express]].
14. "Billa Ii Preview – Billa Ii Movie Preview".
15. (2 February 2012). "Ajith's warm, Vijay's cool: Vidyut Jamwal". [[The Times of India]].
16. Ranjit Rodricks. (18 July 2013). "Vidyut Jammwal's Commando Selected for Fantasia International Film Festival in Canada". MissMalini.
17. (7 August 2013). "Commando: A One Man Army – Sympatico & Ubisoft Present Fantasia 2013".
18. "Commando – A One Man Army". Fantastic Fest.
19. (7 June 2013). "Vidyut's action goes international". The Times of India.
20. Ranjit Rodricks. (3 June 2013). "Vidyut Jammwal Goes to the Fantastic Fest". MissMalini.
21. (28 July 2013). "Fantasia Film Festival: "That's the sexiest man I've seen in my life!" happy and astonished audience member says, in awe of actor Vidyut Jamwal | Montreal Gazette". The Gazette.
22. (8 April 2013). "Vidyut Jammwal draws comparisons to Jackie Chan, Tony Jaa". The Times of India.
23. (5 December 2019). "Commando 3 box office collection Day 6: Vidyut Jammwal's movie earns Rs 27 crore; top grosser among other franchise films".
24. (21 May 2014). "Tigmanshu Dhulia's Yaara is a remake of French film | Hindi Movies News".
25. (21 May 2014). "Soon, Vidyut going retro for Tigmanshu's next".
26. (20 November 2013). "Vidyut Jamwal to star in desi '300'?". The Times of India.
27. (18 August 2020). "Khuda Haafiz becomes Vidyut Jammwal's biggest opener ever". Zee News.
28. (3 September 2020). "Vidyut Jammwal's action film Khuda Haafiz gets a sequel, filming begins in 2021".
29. (2021-09-22). "Vidyut Jammwal action film Sanak to release on Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex".
30. (2024-06-30). "Vidyut Jammwal talks about Crakk failure and debt, reveals he worked in a circus".
31. Matt Grobar. (July 14, 2025). "Legendary's 'Street Fighter' Movie Casts Vidyut Jammwal As Dhalsim". Deadline.
32. (22 May 2014). "Vidyut Jamwal Times Most Desirable Men Zoomdekho » | India Video News".
33. (5 February 2012). "Times Most Desirable Men of 2011: Vidyut Jamwal – No. 39 – Video". The Times of India.
34. (1 October 2012). "Times Most Desirable Men 2013 | Times Polls".
35. (9 December 2012). "Vidyut Jamwal ranked among top five fittest men – IBNLive".
36. (9 December 2012). "Vidyut Jamwal among top five fittest men | Business Standard News". Business Standard.
37. New Delhi. (9 December 2012). "Vidyut Jamwal among top five fittest men". Deccan Herald.
38. "Vidyut Jammwal And Kangana Ranaut Crowned PETA India'S Hottest Vegetarians - Media Centre".
39. (7 September 2018). "Vidyut Jammwal reveals he is vegan, says meat-free diet helps him stay fit". Hindustan Times.
40. "Kangana Ranaut and Vidyut Jamwal are India's Hottest Vegetarians". Biharprabha News.
41. "Latest News: Latest Headlines Today, Latest Current Affairs News".
42. (13 August 2013). "Vidyut Jammwal goes rock climbing at Piedra Parada, Argentina – Entertainment".
43. (18 May 2015). "Vidyut Jammwal takes on rock climbing in Argentina gallery Page # 1".
44. (2021-09-13). "Vidyut Jammwal, Nandita Mahtani officially confirm engagement: 'Did it the Commando way'".
45. (16 March 2023). "Vidyut Jammwal, Nandita Mahtani go their separate ways". The Times of India.
46. (2023-05-12). "IB 71 movie review: Vidyut Jammwal steps out of his comfort zone only to leave us confused".
47. (20 October 2022). "Vidyut Jammwal, Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Rampal come together for India's first-ever extreme sports action film Crakk". Bollywood Hungama.
48. (16 November 2023). "Vidyut Jamwal cast in Sivakarthikeyan's film with AR Murugadoss". The Times of India.
49. Couch, Aaron. (September 4, 2025). "'Street Fighter' Moves to Paramount as Legendary Deal Becomes Official".
50. (12 April 2013). "Amrita Prakash in CID".
51. (2017-11-08). "Netflix Competition Series 'Ultimate Beastmaster' Renewed for Season 2".
52. Grace Cyril. (1 March 2022). "Vidyut Jammwal debuts as host with India's Ultimate Warrior, to be seen as a Dojo master".
53. (2016-06-09). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan weaves magic with 'Tumhe Dillagi' featuring Huma Qureshi and Vidyut Jamwal".
54. (2016-09-08). "Vidyut Jamwal is the next-gen action hero: Urvashi Rautela".
55. (25 February 2012). "MAX Stardust Awards – Break Through Supporting Performance Award Male – Vidyut Jamwal".
56. (19 March 2012). "Sony sweeps Ficci Frames 2012 awards; Star Plus remains best channel | Best Media Info, News and Analysis on Indian Advertising, Marketing and Media Industry".
57. (31 January 2012). "Filmfare Awards 2011 Winners – The Times of India". The Times of India.
58. [http://ibnlive.in.com/news/filmfare-awards-south-dhanush-eega-win-big-awards/408186-71-177.html Filmfare awards list of winners] {{webarchive. link. (2015-05-10)
59. "Vidyut Jamwal on Red Carpet". Zee Cine Awards.