'No story': Nana's reason behind rejecting 'Welcome to the Jungle'
When Welcome to the Jungle was announced, fans were heartbroken to see that Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar, who were a pivotal part of Welcome and Welcome Back, weren't a part of the cast. The Ahmed Khan directorial stars Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Shreyas Talpade, Lara Dutta, and Disha Patani, among others. Now, in a recent interview with The Lallantop, Patekar revealed why he said no to the threequel.
Patekar's fond memories with Kapoor on the films
Patekar underscored the significance of his collaboration with Kapoor in the success of the Welcome franchise. "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," he explained. This partnership was a key factor in their decision to decline roles in the upcoming sequel.
Lack of story influenced his decision
Patekar recalled the underwhelming performance of the 2015 sequel Welcome Back, at the box office and spoke about the makers approaching him and Kapoor for the threequel. "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)," Patekar added, explaining their reasons for declining.
'Welcome to the Jungle' proceeds without Patekar and Kapoor
Despite Patekar and Kapoor's decision, Welcome to the Jungle is currently on floors. Apart from the aforementioned actors, it also stars Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav, Johnny Lever, Jacqueline Fernandez, Mika Singh, Daler Mehndi, Rahul Dev, Sharib Hashmi, Mukesh Tiwari, Tusshar Kapoor, Kiku Sharda, Krushna Abhishek, Inaamulhaq, and Zakir Hussain. Meanwhile, Patekar will next be seen in Prakash Jha's web series Laal Batti.
