Welcome to the Jungle released in theatres on June 26 and is holding its own with a steady audience and ₹63.75Cr net collection across 34,649 shows in its opening weekend. Producer Firoz Nadiadwala feels that for him the films have never been a game of opening weekend numbers or instant success. He also dived into his decades-long working relationships with Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal.
About box office pressure
Talking about the box office pressure with ANI that comes with bringing bigger franchise movies, Firoz said, “We can guarantee effort, not result. Have you heard that phrase, ‘Till my last breath’? I don’t subscribe to that. From our side, it should be like—’till after my last breath.’ Koshish chalu rehni chahiye (The effort must continue).”
He shared that the team kept releasing fresh promotional material and trailers right until the film arrived in cinemas. Even after release, he believes the responsibility towards a film does not end, and every possible effort should continue to help it reach more audiences.
A bond that has lasted for decades
Firoz Nadiadwala recently spoke about his long-standing friendships with stars Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty. He explained, “Even Akshay ji and Suniel ji are the same. We are a team, and we stand with each other. I have been fortunate and blessed to work with Paresh ji since 1987. It’s almost 40 years now. Akshay ji and my relationship goes back to 1996. Anna—that is Sunil ji—and I have been working together and have been friends since the early 1990s. These are relationships that have developed and matured over decades.”
A star-studded ensemble
Welcome To The Jungle brings together Hera Pheri trio Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal.
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.
“Welcome To The Jungle shines in the performance department. It leans heavily on Akshay Kumar’s effortless chemistry with his Hera Pheri team- Paresh, Rajpal and Suniel Shetty. Arshad Warsi doesn’t have a lot to do here, but he adds some fun. Additionally, Farida Jalal as Badi Bi is outstanding, showing off brilliant comic timing, as does Kiran Kumar as Murad Chacha. Together, they bring the house down,” read an excerpt from the Hindustan Times review of the film.