Director Ahmed Khan broke his silence on Sanjay Dutt’s exit from ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. He also told how Sunil Shetty entered as this character.
Before the release of Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, the biggest question was why Sanjay Dutt, who was involved in the film announcement promo, was out of the movie. Now director Ahmed Khan has spoken openly on this entire matter for the first time. He clarified that there was no dispute or creative difference behind Sanjay Dutt leaving the film. The real reason was the continuously arising date problem. Ahmed Khan also told how Sunil Shetty became a part of this character and the entire star cast supported each other in this transformation.
Why was Sanjay Dutt out of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’?
Director Ahmed Khan told that Sanjay Dutt had also shot for the first two days of the film. Talking to Hindustan Times, he said, “The character was written like this from the beginning. After the announcement of the film, Baba (Sanjay Dutt) shot for two days, but then the problem of dates started cropping up. He had to go out for an entire month.” According to Ahmed, later Sanjay Dutt also tried to adjust his dates again, but the circumstances were not favourable.
Also read: Welcome To The Jungle Collection Day 9: ‘Welcome 3’ becomes rocket on second Saturday, know the earnings
What did Ahmed Khan say about Sanjay Dutt?
The director told that Sanjay Dutt himself was ready to constantly change his dates for the film, but the team did not want this. He said, “The second time also a small problem arose. Baba said, ‘I will change my dates again.’ Then we ourselves felt bad and said, ‘Baba, we cannot force you to change your schedule again and again.’ On this he said, ‘How many times will you guys adjust for me?’ Ultimately we had to take some decisions. The show must go on.”
How did Sunil Shetty get this role?
Ahmed Khan told that when Sunil Shetty came into the film, the character was made more effective keeping in mind his screen image. He said, “Anna (Sunil Shetty) has ‘Shetty’ in her name, so it fits the character perfectly. She also gave a glimpse of her ‘Awara Pagal Deewana’ style in this role.” In the film, Sunil Shetty is seen playing the role of brother of Uday Shetty (who was earlier played by Nana Patekar).
Also read: People started calling Chandrachud Singh the second Amitabh Bachchan! Then what happened that the career was ruined?
Did Sanjay Dutt himself ask Sunil Shetty to play his role?
Ahmed Khan revealed that the entire starcast wanted to complete the film at any cost. He told, “All the actors gave full cooperation. Sanju told Sunil, ‘You do my role.’ Then Sunil said to Jackie Shroff, ‘You do my role.’ This shows that everyone wanted this film to be made at any cost.”
Why was the connection of old characters added to the film?
According to the director, many such references have been deliberately kept in the film, which will remind the old audience of the franchise. He said that connecting Sunil Shetty with the “Shetty” family and giving a glimpse of his old ‘Yeda Anna’ style is an attempt to give a familiar feeling to the audience.
Who are the actors in ‘Welcome to the Jungle’?
The popular trio of Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal are seen together again in ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. Apart from these, the film stars Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandes, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Farida Jalal, Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Krishna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Aftab Shivdasani, Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Kiran Kumar, Zakir Hussain, Vindu Dara. Singh, Urvashi Rautela, Hemant Pandey, Brijendra Kala, Firoz Khan (Arjun), late Pankaj Dheer, Punit Issar, Sudesh Berry, Jeetu Verma, Vrihi Kodwara and Bhagya Bhanushali are also in important roles.