The third installment in the hit Welcome franchise, Welcome To The Jungle, starring Akshay Kumar, has reportedly run into serious financial trouble, causing a complete halt in production. Despite being officially announced in September 2023 with much fanfare, filming has remained stagnant for nearly 10 months. The last schedule wrapped up in August 2023, and since then, production has come to a standstill.
According to a report by Pinkvilla, mounting financial issues have delayed the shoot and even led to multiple schedules being cancelled. A large chunk of the film is still pending, and the cast — including many top-tier stars — have yet to receive their payments. This uncertainty has left the actors and their teams in limbo.
“Around two to three schedules have been cancelled over the last six months due to logistical and financial problems,” a source revealed. “While some actors have exited the project, others are still standing by the film out of love for the franchise.”
The situation is further complicated by reports that Akshay Kumar himself owns an 80% stake in the film, with the remaining 20% shared between producer Firoz Nadiadwala and others. So far, Nadiadwala has remained silent on the delays or payment issues.
Directed by Ahmed Khan, Welcome To The Jungle was initially scheduled for a December 20, 2024 theatrical release, but with progress stalled, its timeline now seems uncertain.
The ensemble cast is one of the most star-studded in recent memory, featuring comedy and action veterans such as Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, and Tusshar Kapoor. Female leads include Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, and newcomer Vrihi Kodvara.
As of now, fans are left hoping that the production hurdles are cleared soon and the beloved comedy franchise can return to the big screen — as intended.
