Anees Bazmee on Welcome To The Jungle casting: ‘It’s not possible to make this film without Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor’

Anees Bazmee, the director of Welcome and Welcome Back, has weighed in on Nana Patekar's comments regarding his absence from the third instalment of the popular franchise, Welcome To The Jungle.

Anees Bazmee, who directed Welcome and Welcome Back, is not part of Welcome To The Jungle. (Pic: Anees/Instagram)

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Last week, the much-anticipated multi-starrer film Welcome To The Jungle was officially announced, generating excitement among fans. Akshay Kumar, who plays a lead role in the film, took to Instagram to share the film’s promo. The first two movies of the Welcome franchise featured Nana Patekar and were directed by Anees Bazmee. However, both Patekar and Bazmee will be absent from Welcome 3.

On Tuesday, Patekar commented on his absence from the film, suggesting that the makers might believe he has become “dated”. Now, in a conversation with India Today, Bazmee has shared his perspective on Patekar’s comment. The filmmaker said, “I myself am not a part of it. Yes, I heard what Nana Patekar ji said. Well, now I have no say in its casting. If the makers have taken any decision, it must have been taken after careful consideration.”

He added, “I would just like to say that if I was directing this film, it would not have been possible for me to make this film without Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor. Both the characters have been iconic. Even today, some videos related to him are seen on social media. Both of them have been important characters. I can’t imagine this film without them.”

Also read | Arshad Warsi confirms Welcome 3 with Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt, calls it ‘larger than life’

Welcome To The Jungle features a star-studded cast, including Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Mika Singh, Rahul Dev, Mukesh Tiwari, Sharib Hashmi, Inaamulhaq, Zakir Hussain, Yashpal Sharma, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, and Vrihi Kodvara. The film is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Firoz A Nadiadwala. Currently, the film is in the pre-production stage and is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 20, 2024. It will be directed by Ahmed Khan.

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