‘Welcome to The Jungle’, directed by Ahmed Khan, has a large cast of over 30 actors, but several names have been linked to the project, among them. Sanjay DuttSharib Hashmi, Rahul Dev, and singer Mika Singh, were not seen in the final film. Breaking the silence on Sanjay’s exit, Khan has now refuted the claims of rift between the actor and the production team. He explained that the actor’s departure came due to a conflict in his schedule, adding that Dutt had also flown to the US for medical treatment at the time. According to the director, the crew had already wrapped up with Sanjay by the time he left the film.
Sanjay Dutt loved the script, says Ahmed Khan
Ahmed revealed that Sanjay was keen to be a part of the film, especially since many of his close friends from the industry were also involved. “Sanju Baba loved the script, and he really wanted to be a part of the film. Film mein itne saare friends the unke (A few of his friends were working in the film) – Jaggu Dada (Jackie Shroff), Akshay Kumar, etc. He was very happy. We shot a part of the film with him. But he had problems of the day. He had to go to the US. He went there for treatment, and I could not change the dates of many performances,” Khan told News18.
Sanjay Dutt helped find his replacement
According to Ahmed, after Sanjay left the film, he himself stepped in to help find someone to fill his shoes. The director shared that Dutt himself reached out to Suniel Shetty, persuaded him to step into the role he deserved, and then convinced Jackie Shroff to take on the role he had written for Suniel. “He graciously called Suniel Shetty and told him to play what he had to play and asked Jackie Shroff to do what Suniel Shetty had started doing. He established a solution to his absence. We will remain grateful to Baba for this,” he added.
The film crosses the Rs 100 crore mark despite Sanjay Dutt’s exit
‘Welcome To The Jungle’, featuring key actors including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad WarsiJackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Farida Jalal, Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoorand Rajpal Yadav, has already crossed Rs 100 crore at the international box office.