Suniel Shetty: revealed that he almost didn’t sign ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, and the reason was the film’s jaw-dropping ensemble cast. The veteran actor, who is currently celebrating the film’s strong box office opening, speaks candidly about his initial doubts, his view of the comparisons to ‘Tropic Thunder’, and what will happen in the upcoming action thriller Hitman alongside. Tiger Shroff.
Why was Suniel Shetty initially skeptical?
Even though ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ turned out to be a crowd-pleaser, Suniel Shetty admits that the scale of the project was daunting in the beginning. He told Mid-Day, “At first I was hesitant to do it, because I wasn’t sure if it would do justice to so many actors,” referring to the film’s main cast of over 30 actors. His trust in the people behind the project changed the decision. He said, “I knew the script was too much, but since I was comfortable with my producer Firoz A Nadiadwallah and Ahmed, I said yes to it.“
Suniel Shetty on ‘Tropic Thunder’ comparisons
‘Welcome to the Jungle’ has been widely compared to Ben Stiller’s 2008 Hollywood comedy ‘Tropic Thunder’, which featured a film crew accidentally caught in a real jungle combat situation. Shetty, however, is not losing sleep over the parallels. He said, “Comparisons will continue to happen. What makes a difference is the writing, the performances, the director’s vision, and our belief that over-the-top, brain rot cinema will work as well. We have no one to judge. The audience enjoyed ‘Welcome to the Jungle’.”Ahmed KhanThe directorial has reportedly crossed the Rs 50 crore mark in the opening weekend. In the same conversation, the actor also made a case for the importance of entertaining, family-friendly films alongside big-budget action spectacles like ‘Dhurandhar’. He said, “I love Aditya Dhar’s cinema. For me, it’s entertainment [a movie] which appeals to children and families. The way they went to theaters for ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ speaks for itself.“
Suniel Shetty teases his role in ‘Hitman’
With ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ wrapped up, Suniel Shetty is now focused on ‘Hitman’, an action thriller directed by Sachin Ravi in which he plays a mentor to Tiger Shroff’s character. While rumors suggest that his role carries gray shades, the actor keeps things close to his chest. He said, “I can’t say anything until the producer announces it. Gray is always good, but black never is.”
More about ‘Welcome to the Jungle’
Directed by Ahmed Khan, the film features Akshay Kumar, along with Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Farida Jalal, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoorand Rajpal Yadav.The movie also stars Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Aftab Shivdasani, Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Kiran Kumar, Zakir Hussain, Vindu Dara Singh, Urvashi Rautela, Hemant Pandey, Brijendra Kala, and others.It was released in theaters on June 26, 2026.