Welcome To The Jungle Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor
Director: Ahmed Khan
Welcome To The Jungle Movie Review Synopsis:
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE is the story of a film unit in jeopardy. Sinha (Zakir Hussain) is a rich businessman who gets a tip from a government insider, Ramprasad Udayvar (Brijendra Kala), that if the opposition party wins the upcoming elections, he’ll be jailed for financial fraud. Ramprasad advises him to indulge in loss-making to prevent himself from landing in prison. His trusted aide, Dubey (Johny Lever), advises him to make a grand flop film. The idea is to cast flop actors and directors so that there’s no chance of the film becoming a hit. Accordingly, Dev (Rajpal Yadav) and Das (Paresh Rawal) are hired as directors and Nainsukh (Shreyas Talpade) as the cinematographer. Rajiv Kohli (Akshay Kumar), an unsuccessful actor, is cast as the lead. Dev and Das are unable to repay the loan of dreaded gangsters Romeo (Arshad Warsi) and Yeda Anna (Suniel Shetty). When the gangsters learn that the director duo is working on a film, they order the latter to hire them. Sinha’s daughter Jenny (Jacqueline Fernandez) and Rajiv’s ex-flame Nadia (Disha Patani) are signed as actresses. More actors also join in, such as Rambo (Krushna Abhishek), Jumbo (Kiku Sharda), Rangwa (Mukesh Tiwari), Jagwa (Yashpal Sharma) and Daler (Daler Mehndi). They proceed to a hilly area to shoot the film. For the final schedule, the unit lands up in a town named Azadganj, which is terrorized by a dreaded mujahideen, Zatara (Jackie Shroff). Since the characters in the film are playing army officers, the villagers and the terrorists assume them to be Indian Army officials. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Welcome To The Jungle Movie Story Review:
Late Neeraj Vora's story is crazy and a bhel puri of various films. The screenplay is a mixed bag. While a few scenes fall flat, some scenes manage to entertain big time. Farhad Samji's dialogues enhance the entertainment quotient.
Ahmed Khan’s direction is grand and he deserves credit for pulling off a film of this scale. This was no easy film to execute, not just because of the massive casting and grandeur, but also because it belongs to the brainrot zone, where the madness needs to be handled just right. One wrong move and the humour can fall flat. Thankfully, Ahmed largely succeeds. Of course, the viewer needs to be warned that logic takes a massive backseat here. The fact that the characters, who are part of a film unit, have no clue that they have landed in a terror-controlled zone adds to the chaos and madness. Another major plus is that several characters have distinct quirks, be it Nainsukh, Dubey, Badi Bi (Farida Jalal), Murad Chacha (Kiran Kumar) and others. Filmmakers nowadays often avoid such jokes, fearing backlash or trolling on social media. But the makers here take the irreverent and offensive humour route, and since viewers haven’t experienced this brand of comedy in a long time, it is sure to be lapped up. Along with humour, there’s also enough action to keep the interest going. And that’s not all. The film also has surprise characters who are sure to be greeted with claps and whistles.
On the flipside, a few film parallels are too obvious and unimaginative. For instance, the mute girl track instantly reminds one of BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN [2015]. The scene of Zatara having a merry time in his hideout also seems too similar to the ‘FA9LA’ track of DHURANDHAR [2025]. The Lara Dutta track, meanwhile, falls flat and weakens the first half considerably. A few characters also seem to have been forced into the narrative; remove them from the film and it would have made no difference. Lastly, the humour is such that a segment of the audience, especially those frequenting elite multiplexes, might frown upon it.
Welcome To The Jungle – Official Trailer
Welcome To The Jungle Movie Review Performances:
Akshay Kumar, as expected, is in top form. He’s in a league of his own when it comes to comedy and he proves it yet again. And like always, he excels in action as well. Suniel Shetty and Arshad Warsi brilliantly add to the madness. Disha Patani looks like a million bucks and performance-wise, she’s decent. However, she hardly has any dialogues. Jacqueline Fernandez gets to play a funny character and is quite good. Johny Lever, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav and Shreyas Talpade are dependable as always. Jackie Shroff performs ably as the villain and the same goes for Vindu Dara Singh (Ghoni). Raveena Tandon (Zoya) leaves a huge mark. Lara Dutta (Teja) is very disappointing. Meanwhile, Farida Jalal and Kiran Kumar bring the house down and they are the surprise packages of the film. Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani (Abdullah) and Hemant Pandey (Kishan) are okay. Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Mukesh Tiwari and Yashpal Sharma are wasted while Daler Mehndi delivers an embarrassing performance. Zakir Hussain is decent, but is forgotten completely after a point. Late Pankaj Dheer (Karan), Feroze Khan (Arjun) and Puneet Issar (Duryodhan) are entertaining. Urvashi Rautela (Dia), Sudesh Berry (Vikrant Singh) and Brijendra Kala are fair in small roles. Jeetu Verma (Dominic) leaves a mark in a cameo. Child actors Vrihi Kodvara (Urvi) and Bhagya Bhanushali (Bhagya) do well. Akshara Singh delivers an authentic performance in the Bhojpuri song.
Welcome To The Jungle movie music and other technical aspects:
From the songs, 'Deewane Hain' is the best of the lot. 'Ghis Ghis Ghis' will be well received, especially in the hinterland. 'Ucha Lamba Kad Forever' comes immediately after but is well picturized. 'Tera Paisa Mera Paisa' is placed in the end credits and is passable. Lastly, the placement of ‘Kyun’ is unexpected and unlike anything seen in a Hindi film! Hanif Shaikh's background score is well-woven into the narrative.
Kabir Lal's cinematography is spectacular. Abbas Ali Moghul's action is neither too gory nor does it involve characters flying; it's realistic and yet cinematic. FutureWorks' VFX is tacky. Shailesh Mahadik's production design is appropriate. Kunal Rawal, Anna Singh, Namita Alexander, Ami Patel, Sunakshi Rathod, Shakil Shetty, Priyanka Mundada, Harshita Ramchandani, Shahdab Malik and Trupti Doifode's costumes are rich. Nitin FCP's editing could have been sharper, especially in the second half.
Welcome To The Jungle Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE is a madcap, no-holds-barred comic entertainer that works due to its brainrot humour, grand scale, massy moments and unexpected developments. The film is not for those seeking logic or subtlety. However, its unabashed madness and crowd-pleasing moments give it a strong chance to find favour in mass centres. At the box office, it can emerge as a wholesome entertainer for viewers looking for paisa-vasool fun.