4 min readKochiUpdated: Jun 30, 2026 01:28 PM IST
Ahmed Khan’s Welcome to The Jungle has more than 30 actors in its star cast but fans were quick to notice that a few actors, who were announced as a part of the film during the announcement, did not actually appear in the film. This includes Sanjay Dutt, Sharib Hashmi, Rahul Dev and singer Mika Singh. Now, director Ahmed Khan has opened up about Sanjay Dutt’s exit and refuted allegations that suggested some discord between the makers and the actor.
Maintaining that Sanjay exited the project due to scheduling conflicts, he recalled that the actor also had to go to the US in between for treatment. The director further revealed that they had even shot a few scenes with Sanjay before he left the film.
Welcome to the Jungle Box Office Collection Day 4 Update | Akshay Kumar film crosses Rs 100 crore mark
Real reason behind Sanjay Dutt’s Welcome To The Jungle exit
Ahmed asserted that Sanjay was very keen to work on the film because it starred some of his dearest friends from the film industry. “Sanju Baba loved the script, and he really wanted to be a part of the film. Film mein itne saare friends the unke (Quite a few of his friends were working in the film) – Jaggu Dada (Jackie Shroff), Akshay Kumar, etc. He was thrilled. We shot a part of the film with him. But he had date issues. He had to go to the US. He went there for his treatment, and I couldn’t shift the dates of so many actors,” Ahmed Khan told News18.
Ahmed claimed that when Sanjay exited the film, he helped them find a replacement for him. The director further revealed that it was Sanjay who talked Suniel Shetty into taking on his role and later convinced Jackie Shroff to play the role originally intended for Suniel Shetty.
How Sanjay Dutt solved Welcome To The Jungle casting crisis
“He graciously called Suniel Shetty and told him to play the character that he was supposed to play and requested Jackie Shroff to play the role that Suniel Shetty was initially set to play. He set up a solution for his unavailability. We’ll always remain grateful to baba for that,” he added.
Besides Sanjay Dutt, a few other actors, such as Sharib Hashmi and Rahul Dev, who were initially roped in to play key roles in the movie, had also dropped out in due course. Revealing the reason behind his exit from the project, Sharib Hashmi told Variety India, “I signed the film when there was no clash with any other project, but the shooting got delayed, and by the time the shooting dates came to me, it clashed with The Family Man Season 3 schedule. So, I had to say no to Welcome to the Jungle.”
Story continues below this ad
Must Read | Salman Khan to leave Galaxy after 52 years, gets approval for new 6-storey home: report
Rahul Dev also cited scheduling conflicts as the reason behind his exit from the movie, having signed on to do Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis. Although Inaamulhaq cited a similar reason for his departure, he was also unsure about his character. He wondered, “How could I be in a film if I don’t know what kind of world I am going to be part of?”
Singer-rapper Mika Singh was also supposed to be a part of the film, but the exact reason behind his exit remains unknown.
Starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Farida Jalal, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor, and Rajpal Yadav in key roles, Welcome To The Jungle has already crossed the Rs 100 crore mark worldwide.
Actor Sanjay Dutt was supposed to play a key role in Welcome To The Jungle. (Credit: Facebook/@Duttsanjay, IMDb)