With Akshay Kumar’s Welcome to the Jungle crossing ₹100 crore at the Indian box office, writer Farhad Samji speaks to Hindustan Times about the film’s three-and-a-half-year journey, managing a cast of over 34 actors, handling criticism, and why he believes a film’s biggest test is whether families feel their money was well spent.
Turning theatres into stadiums
For Farhad, comedy offers instant feedback in a way few other genres can. “The love from the crowd over the last few days has exceeded expectations; they are turning the theater into a stadium. With a thriller, you are in a skeptical or suspenseful mood, but comedy is a genre where you hear people laughing and see their body language, so you immediately know they are enjoying it.”
Getting there wasn’t quick. Farhad says Welcome to the Jungle took nearly three-and-a-half years to develop, with several script drafts before it was finally narrated to Akshay Kumar. From the outset, he wanted the third film to feel bigger than the earlier installments, making a star-studded cast a key part of the vision. “We knew from day one that it needed an ensemble cast to attract the audience,” Farhad explains. “We felt we didn’t just need good actors, but recognizable faces since it’s a third-part franchise.”
Managing 34 actors with honesty
Managing a cast of more than 34 actors wasn’t easy, but Farhad says honesty made the process smoother. Rather than making big promises, he was upfront with every actor about their role. “What works for us is transparency. We don’t promise someone a massive role and then avoid them on Friday because we didn’t deliver. I haven’t done that in 25 years. The actors love the transparency,” he says.
For him, memorable characters matter more than lengthy screen time. “We put a lot of hard work into characterization. Even with limited screen time, characters like those played by Farida Jalal and Kirron Kher get praised because of their characterization. For example, Johnny Lever’s character goes mute while talking, or Jacqueline’s character is so ‘dumb’ she asks about a horse when there are real weapons around. These punches land because the characters themselves are funny,” he adds.
How the fourth-wall-breaking scene came together
One of the film’s most talked-about moments comes just before the interval, when Akshay Kumar breaks the fourth wall and says, “You must be getting up from your seats for the interval now.”
Farhad says the scene wasn’t designed to become a viral moment. It came from a storytelling challenge. The team had a hit song but couldn’t find a natural place for it in the jungle narrative without interrupting the flow. “As a creator, I know the audience wants to see the jungle story, and a song, no matter how much of a hit, can break the story flow,” Farhad notes. “This [fourth-wall break] was the only option, and it paid off as a big ‘gimmick.’ People got to see the song and laugh at the same time.”
Responding to criticism over the female characters
While the film has done well at the box office, some social media users felt the comedy involving Disha Patani and Jacqueline Fernandez didn’t land as well as the veteran comedians. Farhad says that was a conscious choice, as every character was written differently.
“Every character has an arc and a specific language. If I gave Jacqueline or Disha the traits of Johnny Lever, it wouldn’t fit their characters. They knew their roles as the leading ladies and love interests… Our job is like preparing a buffet; we serve food for everyone. Just because one dish isn’t the most popular doesn’t mean it’s bad; it’s about variety,” he says.
He also defends the writing of the female characters, adding, “I can say with pride that the women in this film had a lot to do, with specific punches that usually aren’t given to female characters.”
Why value for money matters today
Farhad believes the biggest shift after the pandemic is that audiences care less about formulas and more about whether a film is worth the money they spend. “There is no formula post-pandemic. People want their hard-earned money to be worth it. If a family of four goes out, they spend 2000-3000 rupees; it has to be worth their time,” he says.
Sharing a personal example, the filmmaker recalls his driver asking if the film was worth watching before taking his family to the theatre. “He earns 25,000, and he knows taking his family will cost him 3,000. He asked me, ‘Sir, the film is good, right?’ because that’s a lot of money for a middle-class person. In the end, it’s your content that speaks. If the material is good, it will be appreciated,” he concludes.
About Welcome to the Jungle
Welcome To The Jungle brings together the Hera Pheri trio, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal.
Directed by Ahmed Khan, the star-studded cast also features Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Farida Jalal, 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), the late Pankaj Dheer, Puneet Issar, Sudesh Berry, Jeetu Verma, Vrihi Kodvara, and Bhagya Bhanushali.