Actor Akshay Kumar has described Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar as “family” and said they would be part of a possible Welcome 4, even though the two actors are not in Welcome To The Jungle. Speaking about the franchise, Akshay said the Welcome cast shares a close bond and that audiences would find all of them together if a fourth film is made.
The actor’s remarks come as marks his return to the series after he did not feature in the sequel, Welcome Back, a film many viewers felt missed his presence. This time, however, Akshay is back while and Nana Patekar are absent from the new film.
Akshay, in an interview with The Times of India, said, “said, “Welcome is a full family. This is Nana, Mr Anil, me and all the people. This is like family. If Welcome 4 is ever made, you will find all of them (in it).”
Welcome To The Jungle is directed by choreographer-turned-director Ahmed Khan, who said he remained in touch with both Nana and Anil during the making of the film. He said, “We talked all the time. We used to call during the shoot (of the film). Nana had just called and asked, ‘How is it going? When will you show (the film) it to me? Tell Akshay that I am not available’. They keep calling and they talk. Anil sir called and said, ‘How is it going? And next time we will plan something’.”
The first Welcome, released in 2007, remains widely remembered for the chemistry between ,Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor. Anil and Nana played the fan-favourite gangsters Uday Shetty and Majnu Bhai in the film, which also featured actors Katrina Kaif and Paresh Rawal. The two actors later returned for the second instalment, Welcome Again, in 2015, which featured actors John Abraham and Shruti Haasan.
Akshay now headlines Welcome To The Jungle, which also features Paresh Rawal, Suneil Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Lara Dutta and Raveena Tandon.
While the characters played by Nana and Anil are not part of Welcome To The Jungle, the film introduces their siblings, Yeda Anna and Romeo, played by actors Suniel Shetty and Arshad Warsi, respectively. The story revolves around a group of gangsters, criminals and quirky characters whose paths cross in a border-area jungle, where what begins as a film-shoot-like operation turns into a series of absurd misadventures involving crime, confusion and action-packed situations.
“By the time the climax arrives – and there seem to be more than one – you have stopped wondering who will defeat the terrorists. You’ve stopped caring whether Rajeev gets the girl. You don’t even remember who owes money to whom anymore. Somewhere in the middle of all that nothingness, the film loses your interest. You aren’t waiting for the story to end anymore, but for the film to realise it should.”