13 May,2026 05:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Akshay Kumar. Pic/Instagram
Akshay Kumar is making an entrance, and this time the jungle itself seems to be rolling out the red carpet for him. The actor's latest look from Welcome to the Jungle is all about his effortless swagger and the kind of larger-than-life screen presence that instantly takes fans back to the iconic Welcome era.
Dressed sharply in tinted glasses, standing tall in the middle of the wild, Akshay looks completely in command. He is stylish, confident and right at home in the franchise's eccentric universe.
Sharing an image of his new avatar on Instagram, Akshay wrote in the caption, "Next WelcometotheJungle."
What makes the look click instantly is the nostalgia factor. There's a familiar coolness reminiscent of the cult charm he brought to Welcome, but this time mounted on a much grander scale. The visual feels slicker, bigger and more movie magic-like, while still holding onto the unmistakable Welcome flavour that audiences have loved for years. The first look is as much about comedy as about his star power, with Akshay carrying the same effortless charisma that made him such a natural fit for the franchise in the first place.
At the end of March, mid-day reported that producer Firoz A Nadiadwallah had deferred a song shoot in Dubai amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia (Welcome to Plan B - March 31). However, the director-producer duo remain keen to film in Dubai to capture a luxe lifestyle - and to shoot at least Suniel Shetty's entry sequence in Welcome to the Jungle, alongside Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, and Rajpal Yadav.
The plan is now locked. The cast will fly to Dubai in mid-May to film the sequence. "Suniel's introduction scene will be one of the most expensive [sets] in the movie, shot over three days," a source reveals. The makers want Suneil Shetty's entry to echo Feroz Khan's iconic introduction in Welcome (2007). "Suniel plays a loveable don. The scene will be shot mid-sea, onboard a 200-foot sleek yacht with a helipad. Suniel and Arshad will get down from the helicopter and meet [the others]."
Directed by Ahmed Khan, Welcome To The Jungle is slated to release in cinemas on June 26. With one of the biggest ensemble casts in recent times and Akshay Kumar returning to a space associated with his comic legacy, the film is already shaping up to be one of the season's big-screen entertainers. Ready for a rollicking time?
