In a recent exclusive report, Pinkvilla revealed that Sanjay Dutt had exited the comic caper, Welcome To The Jungle, led by Akshay Kumar, citing health issues. As the shoot continues in Mumbai, there is exciting news about the Ahmed Khan-directed adventure comedy. Sources close to the project have confirmed that Jackie Shroff has been brought on board to play a key role in Welcome To The Jungle. “Jackie Shroff has been silently shooting for Welcome To The Jungle ever since Sanjay Dutt’s departure from the film. There has been a twist in the tale as the makers have reworked the character traits and recast certain parts.
Suniel Shetty will now be playing the role initially written for Sanjay Dutt, while Jackie Shroff has stepped in to portray the part that Suniel Shetty had signed on for,” revealed a source familiar with the development. The decision to cast Suniel Shetty and Jackie Shroff was made considering their macho personalities, ensuring that the unique selling point of the characters remains intact. “The humor for Suniel’s character stems from his machoism.
On the other hand, Jackie brings an exciting dynamic to the lead roles and is presented in a completely new avatar. The casting change was made back in December, and Jackie has already shot a significant portion of his role in the film,” added the source. Welcome To The Jungle is gearing up for a Christmas 2024 release and is poised to become the biggest comedy of the year, with an ensemble cast that includes Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Lara Dutta, Raveena Tandon, Rajpal Yadav, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor, Mika Singh, and Daler Mehndi in key roles. The film marks the return of Akshay Kumar to the Welcome franchise and is directed by Ahmed Khan. If all goes as planned, the film is set to wrap up by the end of July, leaving fans eagerly awaiting its release.
