Suniel Shetty was recently seen in Welcome To The Jungle, co-starring Akshay Kumar. In the film, Suniel played Yeda Anna, a comic gangster and the brother of the original franchise character Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar). His dynamic with the ensemble cast relies on mistaken identities, high-octane action-comedies, and constant bickering with his frequent co-star Akshay Kumar. In an exclusive conversation on Baatein Dil Se with The Times Group Editor-in-Chief Navika Kumar, Suniel Shetty was asked whether he could do Welcome To The Jungle without Akshay Kumar and about his bond with his Hera Pheri co-star.
Suniel Shetty calls Akshay Kumar bigger star
Speaking to The Times Group Editor-in-Chief Navika Kumar, candidly spoke about sharing screen space with Akshay Kumar in Welcome To The Jungle. Asked whether he could do the film without his Hera Pheri co-star, the actor replied with an emphatic “No,” saying Akshay’s star power is essential to the film’s scale.
He said, “Because you need Akshay Kumar for the scale of it and i am aware of all this and I say this openly but I don’t feel inferior or anything because I have my positives. I know what I am doing beautifully at and I am very secure and nobody can make me feel insecure and my mindset is I am who I am and my attitude depends on who you are. You show me love and I’ll bend over.”
Shetty also added, “He is a star, bigger than you.Absolutely. No it does not impact because it does not impact my performance. I have got that confidence in performance.”
Sunile Shetty on doing films under new directors, producers
Suniel also reflected on the biggest mistakes of his career, admitting that nearly 80% of his films were backed by first-time directors and producers. While he had no regrets about working with debut filmmakers, he said choosing inexperienced producers often proved costly, as many lacked the resources and expertise to properly produce, market and distribute a film.
He added, “I have made mistakes in my career like 80 percent of my films over first time directors that is still okay but it was also first time producers who probably could not produce a film the way it needed to be poduce you know hand-to-mouth existance. They are good, let’s do it for them and that is why the term Anna (nickname). Anna is also a way of showing love to you. I paid the price and i would not have it in other way because i have learned and grown so much.”
Welcome to the Jungle
When asked what’s the one thing he would change, Shetty added, “I would have chosen the producers better. The producers are people who make or break a film. They know how to distribute, market, sell, choose a right date of a film.”
Meanwhile, speaking about , the film, directed by Ahmed Khan, is a chaotic, self-aware meta-comedy. The e story revolves around a corrupt businessman who deliberately invests in a high-budget film destined to fail at the box office, using the venture as a scheme to launder his illicit wealth. To execute this plan, he assembles a bizarre and motley crew comprising a struggling filmmaker, a notorious gangster, and a once-popular action star whose fame has since faded.