Welcome To The Jungle review: Akshay Kumar leads a delightfully chaotic comedy 

There was always one question surrounding Welcome To The Jungle: will they be able to recapture the craziness of the Welcome franchise, or will this just be seen as another cash grab off of nostalgia?  

The answer is… for the most part – yes. While they don’t quite match the cult following of the first film, they do know what people want from these films – crazy situations, silly characters, over-the-top comedy, and a cast who looks like they are having the time of their lives. And for the most part, this film gives you everything that you have come to expect from a Welcome film. 

The storyline is purposely absurd and ridiculous. Dr. Ghungroo (Paresh Rawal) creates an elaborate plan to lure an international crime syndicate into a trap by pretending to make a Rs. 2000 Crore film. The elaborate plan quickly spirals into pure chaos and pandemonium when the crew ends up lost in the jungle and is mistaken for soldiers, only to find themselves tangled up in an even bigger problem. Reasoning goes out the window as soon as the story begins, but then again, nobody walks into a Welcome film expecting realism. 

The cast of the movie is its biggest asset. In fact, it’s one of the few films that has a large enough cast to fill the stage of an awards ceremony. Director Ahmed Khan has given every actor in the film at least one memorable scene. Akshay Kumar, who returns to his favourite genre (comedy), continues to demonstrate why he is the master of this genre. His timing is impeccable, and he shines in the various scenes in which he appears. 

Paresh Rawal continues to show us why he is one of the finest actors in Bollywood. His expressions, his unique delivery, and his comedic timing all add to his success, as he is consistently able to create fun moments for his audience. Suniel Shetty and Arshad Warsi are also extremely entertaining in this film, and Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Shreyas Talpade, and Krushna Abhishek add their own flavour to the madness. 

On the female side, Raveena Tandon has successfully made a terrific return to the film. She has once again shown us that she is both charming and confident. Farida Jalal is also a surprise and has delivered some great laughs to the audience. The performances of Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, and Lara Dutta are also excellent, although not as memorable as those of the other actors in this movie. 

Overall, it’s refreshing that the movie knows it doesn’t pretend to be clever. It embraces its own ridiculousness. There are several self-referential jokes, many clever references to the film industry, and a few laugh-out-loud moments that will keep viewers engaged. Not all of the jokes work. A few are stretched thin, and several rely heavily on running gags. The action does begin to overwhelm the film in the second half, with an extra subplot attempting to compete for screen time; this causes the film to have more length than necessary. Yet, overall, when the momentum starts to slip, the film manages to regain enough of it to deliver an entertaining film experience. 

Ahmed Khan deserves some kudos for creating such an outstandingly cohesive movie with such an extensive ensemble cast. The film moves quickly, it has a large budget for production, and, for the first time, the franchise has a very new, visually distinct race through the jungle. While the script does get a little ‘cluttered’ at times, the film manages to maintain a high level of enthusiasm and an equally relentless amount of high energy. 

Welcome To The Jungle isn’t attempting to reinvent comedies or be regarded as intelligent films. It’s very boisterous, with a lot of irreverent silliness and usually an extremely chaotic feel. Some of the jokes are really bad; they shouldn’t be in the movie, or other places, for that matter. The running time could have been tighter and still provided the same level of entertainment. The dramatic elements are at a bare minimum; when the comedy does spark, it really ignites. 

If you’re looking for a movie that requires total focus or analysis, then this isn’t the film for you. But if you’re in the mood to relax, laugh at silly situations, and enjoy a throwback to classic Bollywood films filled with familiar actors, Welcome To The Jungle makes for a fun theatrical watch. 

Rating: 3.5/5