Akshay Kumar raised hopes of a reunion featuring the original ‘Welcome’ cast by announcing that Nana Patekar and: Anil Kapoor: may return if Welcome 4 becomes true. The actor shared that the franchise has always felt like one big family and suggested that fans may see all the familiar faces together in the future.The actor made the comments while discussing ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, the third installment of the popular comedy franchise. Although the latest film marks the return of Akshay to the series, Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor, who play the iconic characters. Uday: Shetty and Majnu Bhai are not in this chapter.
Akshay Kumar announces a reunion
Talking to PTI about the future of the franchise, Akshay said that every member of the Welcome family continues to share a close bond. He also hinted that another sequel might reunite the original cast. He said, “Welcome is a full family. It’s Nana, Mr. Anil, me and all the people. It’s like a family. If Welcome 4 gets made, you’ll see them all.”
Why did Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor disappear?
The original ‘Welcome’ featured Nana Patekar as Uday Shetty and Anil Kapoor as Majnu Bhai. Their shows became very popular and established the duo as two of the most memorable comedy characters in Bollywood. While Nana and Anil returned for ‘Welcome Back’ in 2015, Akshay Kumar was not part of that sequel. With ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, the situation is reversed. Akshay returns to headline the franchise, while Nana and Anil sit out this episode. However, the film introduces two new characters connected to the iconic gangsters. Suniel Shetty: appears as Yeda Anna, while: Arshad Warsi playing Romeo. Both are presented as brothers Uday Shetty and Majnu Bhai, expanding the comic universe of the franchise.Director: Ahmed Khan also spoke about the absence of Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor. He revealed on the same portal that the two actors remained supportive throughout the production and regularly checked the progress of the film. Sharing one such interaction, Ahmed said, “We talk a lot. We call during the shoot. Nana just calls and asks, ‘How are you? When are you going to show me the film? Tell Akshay that I’m not here.’They kept calling and talking. Anil sir called and said, ‘How are you? And next time we’ll plan something,'”‘Welcome To The Jungle’ which is on screens today, boasts one of the biggest ensemble casts in recent Bollywood comedies. Along with Akshay Kumar, the film stars Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Disha PataniLara Dutta, Raveena Tandon and other famous actors. Initial reactions on Twitter described the film as a fun comedy entertainer.