Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal have always been known for their brilliant comic timing in Priyadarshan’s cult hits ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Phir Hera Pheri’. Their chemistry as Raju, Shyam and Baburao made these films unforgettable for fans. Now, years later, director Ahmed Khan has achieved something no other filmmaker has managed since Priyadarshan, he brought the iconic trio back together, even before they begin work on the third ‘Hera Pheri’ film. The three stars are part of a huge ensemble cast in Ahmed’s adventure comedy ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, which is set to hit cinemas in the middle of next year. For fans who grew up quoting Baburao’s lines or laughing at Raju and Shyam’s arguments, this reunion promises a nostalgic spark with a fresh twist.
Director highlights trio’s natural comic rhythm
In his interview with SCREEN, Ahmed Khan could not stop praising the trio’s effortless rhythm on set. He said, “I have great relations with Akshay, Suniel, and Paresh. I can’t believe they’re working in my film after Hera Pheri. They have the timing. If Akshay says something, then Paresh Rawal takes it from there, and then Suniel jumps in. There’s an unknown attachment that Baburao, Shyam, and Raju somewhere pop up in them. I’m taking advantage of that banter.”
Ahmed Khan aims to avoid ‘Hera Pheri’ overlap
But with so much natural chemistry comes a challenge, keeping the film from feeling too much like ‘Hera Pheri’. Ahmed openly admits this balance is not easy. He said,“I know that I don’t have to interfere too much. They know what they have to do. All I have to do is to see there’s not too much Hera Pheri happening. I then tell them to snap out of it and come back to the zone of the film.”The trio’s natural instincts often bring flashes of their old characters, which Ahmed enjoys, but he also reminds them to stay rooted in the world of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’.
‘Welcome to the Jungle’ has a massive star-studded ensemble
The film is not only special because of Akshay, Suniel and Paresh. It features one of the biggest ensemble casts in recent times. Apart from the ‘Hera Pheri’ trio, the film also stars Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Kiku Sharda, Krushna Abhishek, Daler Mehndi, Mika Singh, Yashpal Sharma, Mukesh Tiwari, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Sharib Hashmi, Inaamulhaq, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Disha Patani and Jacqueline Fernandez.Handling such a huge team is no small task. Ahmed explained, “To make such a film is not a joke. We had a minimum of 20 actors in a scene, and they went up to 34. We used to say, ‘It’s a less stressful day because there are only 15 actors on set.’ That’s still the full-blown cast of an average film. A lot of the times, we even used to forget that an actor wasn’t supposed to come in that day.”Ahmed further explained how filmmaking has changed over the years. He said,“It’s a tough job yaar. It’s not easy to manage each actor’s ego, their dates, their personal requirements, their dialogues. It’s not just action and cut today. There’s PR, there are ego massages, there are problems like one actor coming out of van while another doesn’t. Filmmaking is not like K Asif’s anymore, where you just smoke on set, and demand real diamonds instead of pearls. If you make those demands today, you’d be told to go home. If you have to survive today, you’ve to scratch their back so that they scratch yours.”With a huge cast, a beloved trio and an adventure-comedy setting, the film blends nostalgia with fresh madness and is already one of the most anticipated films of 2026. Go to Source
