14 July,2026 10:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ahmed Khan. Pic via X
Director Ahmed Khan's Welcome To The Jungle has emerged as a surprise success at the box office, proving that clean comedy can still strike a chord with audiences. Ahmed Khan believes the film's biggest strength was its commitment to family-friendly humour, while also pulling off one of Bollywood's most-awaited reunions, Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon sharing screen space after decades.
Reflecting on the film's warm reception, Ahmed said the team consciously stayed away from cheap laughs and instead focused on making a comedy that appealed to every generation.
In an interview with Zoom TV, he spoke about bringing Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon together on screen again. Ahmed revealed that the idea came naturally while casting the film.
"Akshay Kumar was always associated with the film, and I had this one character of a strong village woman. I had Raveena Tandon in mind for it," he shared.
According to Ahmed, convincing the two stars wasn't difficult, especially because of their long-standing friendship.
"I told Raveena that she and Akshay hadn't done a film together in years. Both of them are very close friends of mine. They felt that enough time had passed and it was bound to happen someday. Everyone has moved on. They did it for the audience to enjoy," he said.
He, however, clarified that their scenes were written purely to serve the story. "Whatever they did was in the film's context. It's the audience who found their own take on it," he added.
Ahmed also credited the film's success to its clean brand of comedy at a time when the genre has struggled to draw audiences.
"Making people laugh is one of the hardest things because everyone has a different taste in comedy. We kept one thing in mind, we would not indulge in vulgarity, make demeaning jokes or rely on slapstick. We wanted a film for the age group of five to ninety-five, and it worked for us," he said.
Managing an ensemble cast of over 30 actors was another challenge. Ahmed Khan explained that he divided the characters into different groups, villagers, crews, villains and others to ensure everyone had a purpose in the narrative.
Unlike previous Welcome films directed by Anees Bazmee, Ahmed chose to give the franchise a fresh visual identity.
While acknowledging Bazmee's signature writing style, he said he introduced a more grounded aesthetic with neutral costumes, sepia-toned visuals and a restrained colour palette.
"I made a very serious-looking comedy film. I guess the action director in me crept in a little," Ahmed laughed.
