Ahmed Khan‘s ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ has emerged as one of the year’s biggest commercial entertainers, crossing the Rs 100 crore mark at the domestic box office within just 10 days. Headlined by Akshay Kumar, the third instalment in the popular franchise has also sparked conversations about its star-studded cast and surprisingly controlled production cost. In a recent interview, the filmmaker reflected on assembling a cast of over 30 actors, keeping expenses in check, and why the film was already profitable even before its theatrical release.Talking to SCREEN, Ahmed Khan revealed that the screenplay naturally demanded a large cast rather than forcing multiple stars into the story.“Yes, the script was already there. When we went out to make an ensemble, you had to divide and designate people. So, we had a bunch of filmmaking crew (Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor), a bunch of dons (Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Lara Dutta, Jackie Shroff), and another bunch of villagers (Raveena Tandon, Farida Jalal, Kiran Kumar). So, we knew there would be some 17-18 primary actors, and knew who to give which lines and who’s going to have how much screentime. If they were all doing one thing, then it’d have been a nightmare.”He explained that organising the actors into different groups made it easier to balance the narrative and ensure every character had a purpose.
Comedy rooted in irony
The director also shared how the quirky character names and personalities were carefully designed to amplify the humour.“We knew we wanted the timing of Paresh-Rajpal as the dumb directors Dev-Das. They form a tigdi with Johnny Lever. If you noticed, the elder brother should’ve been named Dev, but we named Rajpal Dev and Paresh Das. Then there’s Johnny, an Executive Producer who’s supposed to talk a lot, but he goes mute. At the same time, the cameraperson can’t see properly. So, if you insert irony, it becomes comedy of errors. At the same time, we played up the stereotypes too, like casting Jacqueline as a dumb, blonde heroine.“
Finishing the film without overspending
Despite the enormous cast, Ahmed insisted that disciplined scheduling helped him keep the budget under control.“Yes, Rs 125 crore with the P&A (Prints & Advertising). I finished the film in Rs 110 crore. What happens is if I’d have increased the number of days of shoot, the cost would’ve gone higher. I finished the film in 75 days.”He further explained that extending a shoot impacts much more than just production days.“If your shoot increases by even a day, it just doesn’t increase the number of days, but also the catering cost, per diem, processing fees, and edit and background score expenses. You don’t realize it, but it goes up to right till the end.”Ahmed believes production delays, rather than a large ensemble, are usually responsible for ballooning budgets.“Yes. And we knew that we had so many actors. Had there not been as many actors, I’d have finished the film within 75 days and within Rs 75 crore. I heard at some places that the film’s budget is Rs 200-250 crore. How can anybody say that? If I had spent that much, what’s the point of me being in the industry for 36 years? I’m not making a superhero film, where I don’t even know how to do the VFX, and I’m just sitting while some boys work on the knobs at a VFX studio. My film is a straight cut. It’s just that unnecessary myth that if there are so many actors, the budget would be that high. But there’s no truth to that.”
The film had already recovered its investment
Ahmed disclosed that the project had become profitable even before audiences walked into theatres.“We recovered the budget even before the film released through satellite, digital, and music rights. It was a hit on paper already (laughs). Now, the box office of the film is out there for everybody to see. My producers are laughing all the way to the bank. It’s a proper, authentic success.”
Why he turned the script into a ‘Welcome’ film
The filmmaker revealed that the story, originally penned by the late Neeraj Vora nearly a decade ago, eventually evolved into the third chapter of the franchise after producer Feroz Nadiadwala approached him.“Neeraj Vora wrote it a decade ago, around the same time as ‘Welcome Back’ released. ‘Welcome’ had a separate identity, there are black-and-white suits and Dubai. So, when Feroz Nadiadwala gave me this script, I told him this is the next ‘Welcome’. Nobody wants to see that ‘Welcome’ again. We’ve seen enough of those already.”
Addressing comparisons with ‘Tees Maar Khan’
Many viewers have compared ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ to Farah Khan’s ‘Tees Maar Khan’, but Ahmed believes every comedy creates its own world.“See, we use the term ‘brainrot’, but the brain is actually not rotting. Because you’ve kept your brain aside and are not using it at all. Something else is driving you, so let it drive you. Just sit back and enjoy.”He added, “As far as similarities are concerned, my film is as similar to ‘Tees Maar Khan’ as ‘Sultan’ was to ‘Dangal’ 10 years ago. But they both did well. There are so many cop films in a year. So, the ideas are the same, but once you enter the world, the journey is completely different.”
Bringing nostalgia back to the franchise
Ahmed said he consciously retained familiar elements from the franchise to reward longtime fans.“When we had two iconic characters like them, and we’re making the third instalment, you can forget about everything else, but you tend to keep certain things that the audience would enjoy too. We could’ve avoided it. Nobody would’ve complained about it, but if you can bring a smile to the public’s face with these minor touches, then nothing else matters.”That also inspired the nostalgic reunion between Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon.“Yes, but that’s not the reason behind her casting. They both are my friends. When there was the role of a powerful lady in a village, I thought Raveena would be perfect. When I approached her, I told her I’d play on some scenes between her and Akshay. But we all have grown up now. We have kids now. So, the meta reference of ’20 saal baad aaye ho tum’ caught up so well with the audience that everybody in theatres was going mad (laughs).“
Reimagining veteran actors
Ahmed also spoke about casting Farida Jalal and Kiran Kumar in roles unlike anything they had done before.“I’ve never seen them do comedy. We wanted two serious actors. In this, they’re also not doing comedy. If you mute Farida ji, you’ll see that she’s crying. If you dial up the volume, she’s blabbering.”He continued, “Farida ji asked me, ‘What are you making me do?’ Akshay played a major part. He convinced her that she’s a part of the ‘Welcome’ world. Then she probably understood and went with my conviction.”Recalling a lesson he learnt while choreographing ‘Kaminey’, Ahmed concluded that audiences connect more with emotions than rigid logic.“I said if you have to approach everything by logic, then you should question Gulzar sahab also… People don’t go into such deep details. Unless they see a man who’d been shot in the previous scene.”
