Bollywood action star and martial artist Vidyut Jammwal received a standing ovation after he delivered a speech in Sanskrit at the International Yoga Day 2025 opening ceremony hosted by Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bengaluru. In his address, the actor stressed more on the need to stay away from drugs and narcotics.
“Yoga is India’s heritage. The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali have had a tremendous impact on me. Delivering this message in Sanskrit, the mother of all yogic texts, was like a disciple offering to my tradition that has shaped my discipline and purpose,” said Vidyut, who is a practitioner of Kalaripayattu.
The ceremony was headed by H.R. Nagendra, the yoga guru to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor of the university and the Governor of Karnataka Thawar Chand Gehlot. In his keynote, Nagendra emphasised yoga’s role in holistic health.
The opening ceremony marked the beginning of a week-long series of sessions, workshops, and international collaborations uniting practitioners, researchers, and leaders committed to the ancient science of yoga.The International Day of Yoga is a day in recognition of Yoga that is celebrated around the world annually on 21 June following its adoption by the United Nations in 2014.
The initiative for Yoga Day was taken by India's prime minister Narendra Modi in his 2014 UN address, and the related resolution received broad global support, with 177 nations co-sponsoring it in the United Nations General Assembly, where it passed unanimously.
Vidyut made his acting debut in the Telugu film Sakthi in 2011, and made his first Bollywood appearance in Force in 2011.Starting out in negative roles, his first lead role was in the martial arts film Commando in 2013. He has also appeared in films such as Billa II, Thuppakki and Anjaan with Baadshaho, Commando 2, Yaara, Commando 3 and Sanak.
The actor was last seen in the sports action film “Crakk - Jeetegaa Toh Jiyegaa!” directed by Aditya Datt. The film also stars Arjun Rampal, Nora Fatehi and Amy Jackson. It was billed as the first-ever extreme sports action film in India.
He will next be seen in “Madharasi,” a Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by AR Murugadoss.The film stars Sivakarthikeyan, Rukmini Vasanth, Vidyut Jammwal and Biju Menon in the lead roles, alongside Shabeer Kallarakkal, Vikranth, Prem Kumar, Sanjay and Sachana Namidass.