Nana Patekar on why he and Anil Kapoor are not part of 'Welcome To The Jungle': 'Kahani nahi hai'

Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor in Welcome

Bollywood actor Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor's pairing of Uday bhai and Majnu bhai in the 'Welcome' franchise was much loved by fans and has become a part of pop culture. While it is difficult to imagine the franchise without the duo, the upcoming installment will sadly not feature them. The upcoming multi-starrer will see the likes of Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi, Suneil Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Aftab Shivdasani, Disha Patani, and many more but not the iconic duo played by Anil and Nana. Recently, in an interview with The Lallantop, Patekar revealed why he and Anil turned down the upcoming film from the franchise.

Patekar credited the success of the 2007 comedy to its director Anees Bazmee. He said that he was initially skeptical of playing the role of Uday bhai and had asked Anees to swear on his mother that the role would suit him. "But it wouldn't have been complete if Anil and I weren't doing it together. If Anil and I are there, then only Welcome is possible. If you remove me, then he alone can't make Welcome and vice-versa," Nana reasoned.

Nan admitted that the film's sequel 'Welcome Back' (2015) failed to make an impression on the audience and hence failed at the box office The sequel was also directed by Anees Bazmee. The upcoming film titled 'Welcome To The Jungle' is being directed by Ahmed Khan. Talking about why he and Anil decided to not do the film, Patekar said, "They did approach us. We said no. Kahani nahi hai. Utna mazza nahi aaya. (There's no story. We didn't enjoy it as much)".

Anees Bazmee's 2007 blockbuster also starred Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal, Feroz Khan, and Mallika Sherawat. In the 2015 sequel, Anil, Nana, and Paresh reprised their roles, but the leads were replaced by John Abraham and Shruti Haasan. Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia were also added to the mix.

About Welcome To The Jungle:

The film already features a fantastic ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Mika Singh, Mukesh Tiwari, Zakir Hussain,Yashpal Sharma and Sayaji Shinde joined by Jackie Shroff and Aftab Shivdasani now.

The movie is committed to entertaining a diverse range of audiences, from children to grandparents remaining true to its comic legacy. 'Welcome to the Jungle' guarantees an experience filled with some really cool comedy punches, one liners and create the magic of the Welcome Universe.

The film was announced by Akshay Kumar last year on his birthday. Akshay will be returning to the franchise after playing one of the leads in the first part.