Nana Patekar reveals why he and Anil Kapoor said no to Welcome to the Jungle

Fans of the Welcome can't imagine the franchise without Udai Bhai and Majnu Bhai, played by Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor, respectively. In an interview with The Lallantop, Nana has now revealed why they turned down the upcoming threequel, Welcome to the Jungle. (Also Read – Nana Patekar says Anil Kapoor got him dropped from Parinda out of insecurity: He said ‘Main Nana ko kyun star banau?’)

What Nana said

Nana attributed the success of the 2007 cult comedy Welcome to director Anees Bazmee. He recalled that he was sceptical of playing Udai Bhai initially, so asked Anees to swear on his mother that the role would suit Nana. “But it wouldn't have been complete if Anil and I weren't doing it together. If Anil and I are there, then only Welcome is possible. If you remove me, then he alone can't make Welcome and vice-versa,” Nana reasoned.

He recalled that the film's sequel, Welcome Back (2015), also directed by Anees, didn't work at the box office. Nana then clarified why he and Anil turned down the upcoming threequel, Welcome to the Jungle, being helmed by Ahmed Khan. “They did approach us. We said no. Kahani nahi hai. Utna mazza nahi aaya. (There's no story. We didn't enjoy it as much),” Nana added.

About the Welcome franchise

Anees Bazmee's 2007 blockbuster also starred Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal, Feroz Khan, and Mallika Sherawat. In the 2015 sequel, Anil, Nana, and Paresh reprised their roles, but the leads were replaced by John Abraham and Shruti Haasan. Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia were also added to the mix. However, the film failed at the box office.

Welcome to the Jungle, slated for a Christmas 2024 release, is a huge ensemble. It stars Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Disha Patani, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Mika Singh, Daler Mehndi, Shreyas Talpade, Pitobash, Tusshar Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Rahul Dev, Inaamulhaq, Sharib Hashmi, Kiku Sharda, Krushna Abhishek, Johnny Lever, and Yashpal Sharma.

Meanwhile, Nana will be next seen in Gadar director Anil Sharma's journey and Prakash Jha's web series Laal Batti, also starring Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub.