'Welcome to the Jungle': Why Suniel Shetty replaced Sanjay Dutt
What's the story
The recent Bollywood comedy, Welcome to the Jungle, has been a success at the box office. However, it also sparked curiosity among fans about its cast changes. One major shift was the replacement of Sanjay Dutt with Suniel Shetty after just two days of shooting. Director Ahmed Khan recently clarified that this change was due to scheduling conflicts, not creative differences.
Scheduling issues
Scheduling conflicts led to the change
Khan revealed to Hindustan Times that Dutt had already shot for a couple of days, but scheduling conflicts made it hard to continue. "It was always written this way. That was always the plan. In the beginning, when we announced the film, Sanjay Dutt shot for two days." "But there were so many date issues. Baba (Dutt) had to go away for a whole month," he said.
Actor's efforts
Dutt tried to reschedule his dates
Khan also mentioned that even after Dutt tried to reschedule his dates, things didn't fall into place. "Then the second time, another little issue happened, and he said, 'I will shift my dates again.' Then we felt guilty and said, 'Baba, we can't make you shift your schedule.' " "Then he said, 'How much will you guys adjust for me?' So we had to let go of certain things; the show must go on," Khan said.
Cast solidarity
All actors were supportive, says Khan
Despite the last-minute changes, Khan said that all actors were supportive. "All the actors were supportive. Sanju told Suniel, 'You do my role,' and Suniel told Jackie Shroff, 'You do my role.' That just shows that everybody wanted this film to happen," he added. In Welcome to the Jungle, Shetty plays Uday Shetty's brother, Yeda Anna.
Ensemble cast
About 'Welcome to the Jungle'
The film, which was released on June 26, also stars Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Paresh Rawal. It has crossed ₹100 crore at the Indian box office so far. The film is the third installment in the Welcome franchise and is currently running across 3,789 shows nationwide.