“I Will Never Make a Welcome Film Without Uday & Majnu” – Anees Bazmee Said In The Past; Now Welcome 3 Gears Up Without Them –

Anees Bazmee On Making Welcome Without Uday & Majnu:

Veteran filmmaker Anees Bazmee has often spoken about the special place the Welcome franchise holds in his career, particularly because of the iconic characters Majnu Bhai and Uday Shetty — played by Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar — whose chemistry made the 2007 comedy a cult favourite. In interviews reflecting on the franchise’s evolution, Bazmee made it clear that he could never imagine Welcome without these two key characters.

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Bazmee was not involved in the third instalment, Welcome to the Jungle, and publicly explained that the film would be challenging to call a true Welcome without Majnu and Uday. He said that if he had been directing it himself, he would have ensured both actors were part of the project “by hook or by crook.” Without them, he feels the essence of the franchise is lost.

Reflecting on Welcome Back (the 2015 sequel), Bazmee acknowledged that while it performed well commercially, it did not match the original’s enduring appeal — which many attribute to the Majnu–Uday dynamic. He suggested that audiences’ high expectations and the absence of that original magic contributed to the reception.

Bazmee’s comments underscore how central Majnu and Uday are not just to the Welcome brand, but to its cultural resonance. For him, a Welcome film without them simply wouldn’t feel authentic, highlighting how key performances and character relationships can define the identity of a beloved Bollywood franchise.

Interestingly, Welcome 3, aka Welcome To The Jungle has no Uday or Majnu characters. It's a fresh take at the comedy franchise with a fresh cast, while Akshay Kumar, who was part of first Welcome movie in 2007, returns. Welcome 3 features Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, and many others.

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