He ranked inThe Times of India's list of India's Top 10 Most Desirable Men in 2012 and 2013.Men's Health named him among its Best Bodies list in 2011 and among the Top 5 Fittest Men in 2012. In 2012,People Magazine India included him in its list of The Sexiest Men Alive.
He made his acting debut in the Telugu filmSakthi (2011), and his first Hindi film appearance was inForce (2011). Starting out with negative roles, he had his first lead role in the martial arts filmCommando (2013). He went on to appear in several commercially successful Tamil films such asBilla II (2012),Thuppakki (2012), andAnjaan (2014). His later Hindi films includeBaadshaho (2017),Commando 2 (2017),Commando 3 (2019),Yaara (2020), andSanak (2021). He is also set to make his Hollywood debut in the action film Street Fighter, where he will portray the iconic character Dhalsim.
Vidyut Dev Singh Jammwal was born on 10 December 1980 in aRajput[7] family ofJammu, India.[8] He is one of three children born to anIndian Army officer and lived in various parts of India (owing to his father's transferable job) and trained inKalaripayattu in anashram inPalakkad,Kerala which was run by his mother,[9] 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.[9] Jammwal travelled to over 25 countries, where he performed in live action shows.[10] Growing up, Jammwal was inspired byJackie Chan.[11]
Jammwal later acted in Hindi-language filmCommando 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 theFantasia Film Fest in Montreal,[16][17] followed by a screening at theFantastic Fest[18][19][20] in Texas in September 2013. He received positive feedback from international media[21] and action directors, calling him India's answer to Bruce Lee and Tony Jaa.[22] After the success ofCommando, he played a sharpshooter cop inTigmanshu Dhulia'sBullett Raja. In 2014, he played a supporting role in the Tamil-language filmAnjaan, alongsideSuriya. In 2017, he starred inCommando 2, the sequel toCommando, 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.
Jammwal ramp walking for a fashion show in 2012
In 2019, Jammwal starred in American directorChuck Russell's first Bollywood filmJunglee andCommando 3. The latter saw him returning to theCommando series and became the most successful film in the franchise.[23] His next project was Tigmanshu Dhulia'sYaara, an official remake of the French filmLes Lyonnais.[24][25]Yaara was one of three films Vidyut signed for – the other two being large format films by directorRam Madhvani, creating an aura similar to the Hollywood flick300.[26] In 2020, he appeared in an action thrillerKhuda Haafiz, which was inspired from real life events. The movie became his biggest opener ever[27] and its sequelKhuda Haafiz Chapter II was announced with same leads.[28] Hosted the showIndia’s Ultimate Warrior on Discovery, a series featuring Vidyut Jammwal. He also played the lead role in the movieSanak.[29] In 2024, Jammwal starred in the sports action filmCrakk which he also produced; it emerged a major failure.[30] Next up for Jammwal, he will be appearing in the upcomingStreet Fighter movie asDhalsim. It will mark his debut in Hollywood.[31]
Jammwal has been part of a number of popular magazine lists.[32] He ranked inThe Times of India's listing of India's Top 10 Most Desirable Men in 2012 and 2013.[33][34]Men's Health declared him as List of Best Bodies and Top 5 Fittest Men in 2011 and 2012 respectively.[35] In 2012,People Magazine India listed him in as one of The Sexiest Men Alive.[36][37] In 2014, he was honoured asPETA's Hottest Vegetarian along withKangana Ranaut.[38]
On 1 September 2021, Vidyut Jamwal announced his engagement with Indian fashion designerNandita Mahtani.[44] In 2023, Jammwal and Mahtani broke their engagement.[45]
