PremiumWelcome Back turns 9: A look back at star-studded comedy and what's next for the franchise
With Welcome Back completing nine years, we relive the comedy's charm and dive into the exciting news about the upcoming sequel, Welcome to the Jungle.
Last Updated: 09.14 AM, Sep 04, 2024
In 2015, eight years after the blockbuster Welcome, Anees Bazmee helmed the action-crime comedy Welcome Back. Today, the film completes nine years of its release. Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Paresh Rawal, Nana Patekar, and Anil Kapoor are among the ensemble cast members of this film, which also features John Abraham, Nana Patekar, Shruti Haasan, Shiney Ahuja, and Ankita Srivastava making her debut. Although it didn't have the charm of the first installment, Welcome Back became a decent hit at the box office. In case you are planning to revisit the film on OTT, you can stream it on JioCinema and ZEE5 (OTTplay Premium).
Welcome Back plot overview
In Welcome Back, Majnu Pandey (Anil Kapoor) and Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar) both decide to leave their illicit pasts behind and become upstanding businessmen. When they find out that their sister, Ranjana (Shruti Haasan), is seeing a local thug named Ajju (John Abraham), their plans are foiled. To keep Ranjana and Ajju apart, the two are hilariously compelled to return to the criminal underworld. Uday and Majnu contact Dr. Ghunghroo (Paresh Rawal) in their quest to find an ideal suitor for their sister. It comes to light that Dr. Ghunghroo's wife has a son named Ajju from a prior marriage. During the engagement ceremony, Majnu reveals that Ajju is a goon, spoiling the engagement and their marriage. Is a wedding planned for Ranjana and Ajju? The only way for Uday and Majnu to prevent Ranjana and Ajju from meeting one another is to return to the criminal underworld.
With an estimated collection of ₹133.26 crore in just 17 days, the film became a smash hit at the box office. The total earnings on a global scale came to ₹168.76 crore.
Announcement of the third installment: Welcome to the Jungle
The producers announced Welcome to the Jungle, the third installment in the trilogy, on September 10, 2023, following the success of the first two films. Firoz Nadiadwala explained that it is an all-out action film featuring the army, and it features some of the most complicated stunts ever filmed in a Hindi movie.
Ahmed Khan, succeeding Anees Bazmee as the franchise's director, helms Welcome to the Jungle. According to reports, Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi, who will replace Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor in the third edition, will play Uday and Majnu, respectively. Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar will make comeback appearances. The cast also includes Suniel Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, Lara Dutta, Johnny Lever, Daler Mehndi, Mika Singh, Mukesh Tiwari, Rahul Dev, and Yashpal Sharma, as well as Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Kuku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Rahul Dev, and Yashpal Sharma.