Filmmaker Ahmed Khan says the audience’s laughter for ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ is his biggest reward. He credits the ensemble cast, praises producer Firoz Nadiadwala’s passion, and calls Akshay Kumar the ‘pillar’ of the film.
Filmmaker Ahmed Khan says the overwhelming audience response to his latest multi-starrer, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, has made years of hard work worthwhile, as he credited the film’s ensemble cast and producer for trusting his vision while revealing that the project was mounted on a controlled budget despite its massive scale.
Speaking about the reception the film has received, Khan said seeing audiences laugh in theatres was the biggest reward. “Do saal, dhai saal ki mehnat… log itna usko pyaar dein aur hansein jo hum chah rahe the aur woh waqai mein hans rahe hain. Dil goes gaga,” he told ANI.
Director Credits Ensemble Cast and Producer’s Vision
Responding to compliments from actors including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Raveena Tandon and producer Firoz Nadiadwala, who praised his ability to bring together such a large cast, Khan said the credit belonged to the entire team. “Sabka saath… sabka vikas… mere saath woh ho gaya,” he said with a smile, adding that every actor stood firmly behind the project.
Praise for Producer’s Passion
Praising producer Firoz Nadiadwala, Khan said he was driven more by passion than business. “I can’t call him a producer… he’s passionate. Itna passion as a producer…,” he said.
Akshay Kumar as the ‘Pillar’
The director reserved special praise for Akshay Kumar, calling him the “pillar” of the film. “Seven o’clock shift, set pe pehla banda khada hai… He was like the pillar in the film. Agar woh pillar hilta… mera tent hi gir jaata,” Khan said, adding that Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Johny Lever and Paresh Rawal also supported him throughout the shoot.
A Tribute to Classic Hindi Cinema
Talking about the film’s references to classic Hindi cinema, Khan admitted that he consciously blended inspirations from movies he grew up watching. “Jo dil ki tamanna thi… humne kaha ismein sab daal do, sab mix kar do, kyunki yeh mauka phir nahi milega itne saare actors jama karne ka,”( It was a wish of the heart… we decided to put everything into this one, mix it all in, because this opportunity to bring together so many actors won’t come again), “he said.
Explaining that the film pays tribute to cinema rather than copying it, Khan said filmmakers naturally learn from the classics. “Cinema wahi hai jo humne dekha… koi Mehboob Khan sahab ka fan hai, koi Guru Dutt sahab ka, koi Raj Kapoor sahab ka… hum sab dekhte hue hi aage badhe hain,( Cinema is exactly what we’ve grown up watching… someone is a fan of Mehboob Khan sahab, someone of Guru Dutt sahab, someone of Raj Kapoor sahab… all of us have moved forward only by watching [those who came before]),” he said.
On Crafting the Film’s Comedy
Speaking about the comedy, the ace director said the team consciously stayed away from humour that demeaned women and instead relied on situational performances. He credited late writer Neeraj Vohra for Johny Lever’s comic portions. “Theatre mein jo reaction aa raha tha… yeh aadmi dialogue nahi bol ke hasa raha hai. Normally dialogue bolke log hasate hain,” he said.
Recreating Iconic Comic Chemistry
Khan also spoke about recreating the comic chemistry between Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty. “Akshay aur Anna ki jo tu-tu main-main hoti hai… unka timing impossible hai. Woh automatically aa jaati hai(The back-and-forth banter between Akshay and Anna… their timing is impossible to replicate. It just happens automatically),” he said, adding that Suniel’s “Yeda Anna” persona drew inspiration from his memorable performance in ‘Awara Paagal Deewana’
Filmmaking on a Controlled Budget
The filmmaker disclosed that despite featuring an extensive star cast and large-scale action sequences, the film was completed on a budget of around Rs 115-120 crore. “Technically dekha jaye toh hamari film about 115-120 crore ke andar complete ho gayi… aur kudos to Akshay jisne paise hi nahi liye(Technically speaking, our film was completed within about 115-120 crore… and kudos to Akshay, who didn’t even take his fee),” he said.
On Handling Online Criticism
On dealing with online criticism, Khan maintained that trolls do not affect him. “Unka khana, unka khorak hi woh hai… agar woh troll nahi karein toh unki wajood hi kya hai,” he remarked.
Directed by Ahmed Khan, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ also stars Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Aftab Shivdasani, Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Kiran Kumar, Zakir Hussain, Vindu Dara Singh, Urvashi Rautela, Hemant Pandey, Brijendra Kala, Feroze Khan (Arjun), Late Pankaj Dheer, Puneet Issar, Sudesh Berry, Jeetu Verma, Vrihi Kodvara, Adityaa Singgh and Bhagya Bhanushali.
An Ahmed Khan entertainer, ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ is presented by A A Nadiadwala, Cape of Good Films and Star Studio18 in association with Seeta Films and Rakesh Dang. It was released in theatres on June 26. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)