The Welcome franchise has always been synonymous with loud, chaotic, and funny comedy, and having great chemistry between two iconic actors: Nana Patekar as Uday Shetty and Anil Kapoor as Majnu Bhai. Their chemistry was legendary in the highly successful 2007 film Welcome, and the duo is still considered a cult favourite with fans regularly quoting many of their dialogues and watching their scenes from the original movie multiple times to this very day.
When Welcome to the Jungle, the 3rd installment in the Welcome franchise, was announced till it’s release, which is today, one of the questions that has been raised is, “Where are Nana and Anil?”
Recently, Akshay Kumar (who stars in a lead role in Welcome to the Jungle) commented on the social media buzz regarding the absence of Nana and Anil. He stated that both of them had been approached to be a part of this installment, but chose not to participate. He clarified that it had nothing to do with any disagreements or conflict between them, but rather due to wanting to be creatively satisfied after working together on the previous movies.
As per reports, Nana Patekar had previously said that neither he nor Anil Kapoor found the script to be good enough to reprise their beloved characters. According to reports, both actors felt the essence of their characters would only come through if the script matched the same level of energy and magic that was present in the previous versions of the films.
Nana and Anil have previously discussed how Welcome came to fruition owing to writing, directing, and chemistry among the actors. The first film, directed by Anees Bazmee, has stood the test of time with fans because of its peculiar mix of absurd comedy and great performances over nearly twenty years. Despite mixed box office results, the sequel managed to keep the characters going.
Many fans were let down when they found out Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor would not appear in Welcome to the Jungle. The makers, however, created a huge ensemble cast of familiar faces from Bollywood in hopes of recreating the original’s insanity on a larger scale.
Although Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor will not appear in the third film, their impact on the Welcome universe and pop culture will continue to be felt among many fans, who hope to see them return to the franchise in the future.
For now, the lack of these two great actors will be missed; however, the contribution they made to the Welcome franchise is unparalleled.
