The popular Welcome franchise in Bollywood has now returned with the third installment, ‘Welcome To The Jungle.’ Headlined by Akshay Kumar, the movie hit the big screens, and let’s see how it is.
Story:
A popular businessman comes up with a bizarre plan to legalize his black money. He invites two of the worst directors in the film industry, Dev (Rajpal Yadav) and Das (Paresh Rawal), and assigns them the task of making the worst film ever. The directors cast Failure Star Rajeev (Akshay Kumar), gangster Romeo (Arshad Warsi), and Yeda Anna (Suniel Shetty) in the film. They head to a jungle for the shoot, and the movie revolves around the bizarre encounters the cast and crew face there.
Plus Points:
After a long time, it is good to see Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal in a single frame, and it instantly reminds us of the old classic comedies. Akshay Kumar single-handedly carries some of the fun sequences, showcasing his histrionics and impeccable comedy timing.
Though the first half is slow, the 20-minute pre-interval-to-interval sequence has come out very well and evokes solid laughs. The confusion drama, and jokes during this stretch clicked well. Johny Lever, Arshad Warsi, and Shreyas Talpade bring their experience to the table, and the situational gags were decent in some scenes.
Minus Points:
The sharp screenplay and logic that made Welcome Part One a classic are nowhere to be seen in this film. The story lacks clarity, and it appears that some scenes are intentionally included just for the sake of jokes without driving the narrative forward.
The movie features more than 20 popular actors, and their presence on screen only adds to the confusion. Many of them don’t get enough prominence in the plot. In particular, the roles of Lara Dutta and Jacqueline Fernandez are weak. Disha Patani, too, doesn’t get much scope to shine.
The film has a runtime of about 2 hours and 45 minutes, and it certainly tests the audience’s patience after a point. Many moments in the second half, in particular, are stretched beyond what is necessary. The visual quality the film demands is missing, and the VFX work is poor. Except for Ek Uncha Lamba Kad, the other songs are forgettable.
Technical Aspects:
Director Ahmed Khan tried to sell the film by banking on the craze of the franchise, but he couldn’t come up with a proper script. Though some dialogues are good, many appear old-fashioned. Though the production values are good, the excessive use of green screen visuals affects the viewing experience. The editing is below par, with many slow moments in both halves.
Verdict:
On the whole, Welcome To The Jungle is a below-par outing compared to the first two films in the Welcome franchise. Akshay Kumar’s comedy timing and the fun moments in the interval block evoke some laughs. However, the weak writing, forced comedy tracks, and lengthy runtime work against the movie.