As Welcome to the Jungle hit theatres on June 26, veteran actress Raveena Tandon is basking in the positive response received by the multi-starrer comedy entertainer. Featuring an ensemble cast of 32 actors including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani and others, the film has generated conversations for bringing together several popular faces on one screen.
Speaking to ANI after the film's release, Raveena expressed her happiness over the audience response while also revealing that June 26 holds a special place in her life. “Yes, that's true - both on 26th June. I think 26th is a lucky number for me. I'm 26th October born, so 26th is lucky. Yes, we are getting great reviews from Welcome to the Jungle. And I think it's superb that in such a comedy where everyone is enjoying themselves, but people are also seeing the performance which I think is terrific. And yes, it's my son's graduation, then he becomes an undergrad after this. Then he'll go to university, so he's finishing his 12th, yes,” she said.
The actress also looked back at reuniting with several of her longtime colleagues, calling the experience memorable because of the camaraderie they share off-screen. Raveena continued, “I think, you know, it's very good for me because I was thinking that such a fun comedy should be done and Welcome to the Jungle came my way. So it was a lot of fun. And you know, the best thing was that we all have known each other for so many years. Arshad, Sunil, Akshay, Farida ji, Kiran Kumar ji played my uncle in my first film. Farida ji played my mother in Ziddi and Salaakhen and many other movies. And then there was, of course, you know, Paresh. Paresh has played the villain in so many of my films. So, it was such a great camaraderie. And obviously, both the girls also, Jacqueline and Disha, they are also such lovely girls. It was a lot of fun working with both of them. And one thing I would like to say is that Ahmed Khan has a very big hand in this. Because he is really a person who is not only a very old friend, but he has given due respect to every artist. To have so many artists in a film and to keep everyone together, to give equal importance to everyone is a very difficult task. And I think Ahmu has achieved it fantastically.”
Talking about shooting with such a massive ensemble, Raveena revealed that while there was plenty of laughter between takes, everyone remained professional once the camera started rolling. “No, no, everyone used to get serious during the shot. Ahmu had to shout a couple of times. We used to improvise and laugh. So, it was a hard task for him. But there was no distraction. Because I think ultimately, when you look at it, we are all old friends. So, everyone knew that when the director says action, it's time to work”, Tandon shared.
The film also marks Raveena's reunion with Akshay Kumar after several years. Speaking about working with him again, she had nothing but praise for her co-star, she stated, “I think it was great working with him after so many years. Nothing has changed in him. He is hardworking, dedicated. He is so involved that you can see the hard work. And he deserves all the success that he gets. Because he really works hard for it. He doesn't get it easily. He really, really works hard. No one would be as dedicated on set as he was.”
When asked whether she still gets nervous before a film release, the actress admitted she keeps track of audience reactions while also taking a dig at criticism surrounding the film. She went to add, “Yes, we do check the feedback. But as I had written on my Instagram, Woke's not invited. So the critics of Woke, they wanted realism in the comedy as well. But that doesn't work. But otherwise, I think overall, the film has been appreciated by everybody. There is no one who hasn't messaged me or called me to congratulate me. So I think this is a moment where we all should enjoy the success of Welcome to the Jungle.”
Raveena also revealed whose opinion she trusts the most after every release. “My husband. You cannot be a better judge of a film than Anil Thadani. You cannot be a better judge of a film than Anil. He is always bang on. So, I think his opinion matters to me the most. He gives me the right lowdown. He thinks nothing can stop this film. He thinks it's positive, it's a blockbuster”, she insisted.
Reflecting on her career choices, Raveena said she consciously shifted towards experimenting with different roles over two decades ago and stated, “So that happened to me in the year 2000. And that's when I changed my course of doing every different kind of film. The last you saw me in Patna Shukla, which is a film where I played a lawyer. Before that you saw me in Aranyak, where I played an inspector. After that you saw me in Karma Calling, where I played a completely glamorous role. Then you saw me in KGF 2, where I played a prime minister. Now you're seeing me in Welcome to the Jungle, where it's an out and out comedy. So how can it get monotonous for me?” and added, “From the year 2002, it was a conscious decision.”
#WATCH | London: On her film 'Welcome to the Jungle' which was released today, actor Raveena Tandon says, "I think 26th is a lucky number for me...We are getting great reviews for 'Welcome to the Jungle'. I think it's superb that even in a comedy people are seeing performance, I… pic.twitter.com/TCRn6Pt3Hg
— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2026
Sharing insights into her acting style, Raveena revealed that she has never believed in method acting or extensive rehearsals as she said, “No, I'm not a method actor. In fact, I'm spontaneous. In fact, I hate workshops and I hate rehearsing 100 times. I will rehearse one or two times and then I know what I'm doing at what time. And sometimes then the take becomes better after a couple of rehearsals. I cannot rehearse and read a scene before. I instantly feel at that time what I feel. So, there's no method acting for me.”
She also spoke about a recent public appearance where she introduced herself as daughter Rasha Thadani's mother, explaining that it was her way of connecting with a younger generation of fans. “It's definitely there's a lot of motherly love. But also, these very young kids, the young generation, maybe they don't recognize it today. They have new songs, they have new actors, the younger actors, they are their fans. So obviously it's always better to introduce yourself where people can identify with you”, she concluded.
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