‘Welcome to The Jungle’, directed by Ahmed Khan, features a large group of more than 30 actors, but many names were originally attached to the project, including Sanjay DuttSharib Hashmi, Rahul Dev, and singer Mika Singh, were noticeably absent from the finished film. Breaking his silence on Sanjay’s exit, Khan has now rubbished claims of tension between the actor and the production team. He explained that the actor’s departure was due to a clash with his schedule, adding that Dutt had also flown to the US for medical treatment at the time. According to the director, the crew had wrapped up some scenes with Sanjay by the time he left the film.
Sanjay Dutt liked the script, says Ahmed Khan
Ahmed revealed that Sanjay really wanted to be a part of the film, especially since many of his close friends in the industry are also starring in it. “Sanju Baba liked the script, and he really wanted to be a part of the film. Film mein itne saare friends ang unke (Quite a few of his friends worked in the film) – Jaggu Dada (Jackie Shroff), Akshay Kumar, etc. He was happy. We shot a part of the film with him. But he has date issues. He had to go to the US. He went there for his treatment, and I cannot shift the dates of many actors,” Khan told News18.
Sanjay Dutt helped find his replacement
According to Ahmed, when Sanjay left the film, he himself helped to find someone to fill his shoes. The director shared that Dutt himself approached Suniel Shetty, persuading him to take on the role that was meant for him, and then convinced Jackie Shroff to take the part originally written for Suniel. “He graciously called Suniel Shetty and told him to play the character he had to play and asked Jackie Shroff to play the role Suniel Shetty was originally slated to play. He came up with a solution for his helplessness. We will always remain grateful to Baba for that,” he added.
The film crossed the Rs 100 crore mark despite Sanjay Dutt’s exit
‘Welcome To The Jungle’, with a key cast including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad WarsiJackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Farida Jalal, Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoorand Rajpal Yadav, has already crossed the Rs 100 crore mark at the worldwide box office.
