In a career that has spanned over three decades, Suniel Shetty has more than 100 films to his credit. Yet, the actor says the nervousness before a release has never disappeared. Ahead of the release of his upcoming multi-starrer Welcome to the Jungle, the actor opened up about how the uncertainty surrounding a film’s box office performance still brings a mix of excitement, anxiety, and nervous anticipation.
Suniel Shetty on box office anxiety
In an interaction with ANI, Suniel Shetty spoke about what a film’s release does to an actor, even after 30 years in Bollywood. Talking about the significance of box office, he said, “Everything is connected to it. A film’s success is tied to its box office performance. One Friday you may be on top, and the next Friday you may not. So yes, there’s always excitement, anxiety, tension, and nervous anticipation.”
Suniel’s next, Welcome to the Jungle, is a comedy caper that features a host of other stars, including Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Jackie Shroff, Tusshar Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Lara Dutta, and Disha Patani. “This film has an incredible ensemble cast: Akshay, Paresh ji, Johnny bhai, Arshad, Tusshar, Shreyas, Daler paaji, and many others. There’s a certain safety net that comes with having such talented people together,” Suniel said.
“The film is truly very entertaining. I can’t say whether it’s good or bad because everyone’s perspective is different. When we watch the film, we enjoy it immensely. But when the audience watches it on Friday, their perspective can be completely different,” he added.
All about Welcome to the Jungle
A four-minute trailer of Welcome to the Jungle was recently released by the film’s makers. The film places Akshay Kumar at the centre of a chaotic adventure. Welcome to the Jungle is the story of a ‘fake film’ being shot in the jungles where the cast and crew are mistaken for army personnel in an accidental clash against bandits.
Directed by Ahmed Khan, Welcome To The Jungle boasts one of the largest ensemble casts seen in a Bollywood comedy in recent years. The film also stars Farida Jalal, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, 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, Puneet Issar, Sudesh Berry, Jeetu Verma, Vrihi Kodvara, Adityaa Singgh, and Bhagya Bhanushali, among others.
Presented by A.A. Nadiadwala, Cape of Good Films and Star Studio18 in association with Seeta Films and Rakesh Dang, produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwallah along with Rakesh Dang and Vedant Vikaas Baali, Welcome to the Jungle releases in theatres on June 26.