When a recreated song from a well-known film draws divided reactions, the director behind it usually has a view on why. Ahmed Khan, who helmed Welcome to the Jungle, has spoken to Variety India about the mixed response to ‘Ucha Lamba Kad Forever’, the film’s reworked version of the 2007 track from Welcome.
On the scale of reactions
Khan acknowledged the criticism but framed it as a function of the film’s reach. “The bigger the eyeballs, the bigger the reaction. In that process, you are bound to get a variety of feedback. There would not have been different reactions had it only been seen by a few people. India is a big country. When a big film releases, the reactions are way bigger. ‘Uncha Lamba Kad’ was a big release. It also had Akshay Kumar. The saving point of the new song was that we had Akshay in this too. We did not let a new actor recreate the old song. He is dancing with the same energy and creating the same mood,” he said.
Why Katrina Kaif wasn’t part of it
On the absence of Katrina Kaif, who starred in the original alongside Akshay Kumar, Khan was direct. “I would have taken Katrina Kaif had she been acting at the moment. But she is not. So, we have Disha Patani. She is the heroine of this film. She is like Katrina in height and physique. She is beautiful. It’s not like we have taken a heroine who is nowhere close to Katrina,” he said.
Khan also suggested that the volume of conversation around the track was itself a sign that audiences had taken to it. “Now that people are talking about the song, it assures us that they have accepted it. But they don’t want to let go of their past nostalgia, which I am okay with,” he said.
About the film
Directed by Ahmed Khan, Welcome To The Jungle is produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwallah, Rakesh Dang, and Vedant Vikaas Baali under Base Industries Group. The film features an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Farida Jalal, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Aftab Shivdasani, and Urvashi Rautela, among others.
Welcome To The Jungle releases theatrically on June 26, 2026.
More Pages: Welcome To The Jungle Box Office Collection , Welcome To The Jungle Movie Review
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