'Welcome 3' loses Sanjay Dutt due to 'disorganized' shooting schedule
What's the story
The much-awaited third installment of the popular Welcome franchise, titled Welcome to the Jungle, has hit a snag.
Per Bollywood Hungama, Sanjay Dutt of the ensemble cast opted out of the film citing "scheduling conflicts."
The actor reportedly felt that the shooting schedule was not organized and frequent script alterations were disrupting his shooting diary.
To note, Dutt shot for 15 days before deciding to depart.
No bad blood
Dutt conveyed all issues to dear friend Akshay Kumar
According to the insider, Dutt communicated his concerns to his close friend, Welcome franchise lead actor Akshay Kumar, who understood the issues and "holds no bad blood."
Dutt expressed dissatisfaction with the disorganized nature of the shoot, citing frequent script changes that disrupted his filming schedule.
Currently, Dutt is juggling multiple upcoming projects, including Double iSmart, The Raja Saab, and KD - The Devil, among others.
Uncertainty
Uncertainty over Dutt's scenes in 'Welcome to the Jungle'
There is speculation about Dutt's scenes shot for Welcome to the Jungle.
A source revealed that "Sanjay Dutt has shot for some funny portions of Welcome To The Jungle in the first schedule and the makers are tempted to resume it and credit Sanjay Dutt for a guest appearance."
However, neither Dutt nor the team of Welcome 3 have confirmed this yet.
This leaves an air of uncertainty over how his exit will be handled.
Cast
Star-studded cast of 'Welcome to the Jungle' continues filming
With Dutt out of the frame, the cast now includes Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade among others.
Recent additions to the cast are Jackie Shroff and Aftab Shivdasani.
The first glimpse of Welcome to the Jungle generated significant buzz last year due to its impressive cast and departure from its two predecessors.
Release
'Welcome to the Jungle' slated for Christmas release
Actor Talpade shared some insights about the plot of the forthcoming film during an exclusive chat with News18.
He described it as "a pretty interesting and funny story about these guys all coming together and pulling off a kind of stunt."
The film, produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwallah and directed by Ahmed Khan under the Base Industries Group banner, is scheduled for a grand theatrical release during Christmas week on December 20.