For years, we’ve all been rooting for a third instalment of the Munna Bhai franchise. While our wish has yet to materialise, Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi’s fans were in for a surprise in January when the two actors announced that they are reuniting for Jail. Months on, Warsi says he shares his fans’ excitement about the Siddhant Kumar Sachdev-helmed comedy.

“Jail is Munna Bhai-ish in terms of story and content. The movie has heart and a sweet message at its core. The scripting is going on with Siddhant, who is writing it as well,” he shares.  

The film’s first look had Dutt and Warsi’s characters behind bars. Our first thought on seeing it: the lock-up scene from Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006). Warsi admits that the shadow of the much-loved comedy franchise looms large, leaving Jail’s writer-director with the tall order of creating characters that are distinct from Munna Bhai and Circuit.

“The challenge lies in Sanju and my characters. When Sanju and I are together, one has to take Munna-Circuit out of the audience’s heads first. That’s why [shaping] the characters is turning out to be a long process. If a scene in Jail reminds us too much of Munna and Circuit, we have to rewrite it,” he emphasises.

As soon as the script is finalised, the team will take the movie on floors. For a self-confessed “lazy actor”, Warsi is eager to begin work on Jail. “It takes a lot for me to step out of my house and do something that excites me. It has to be worth it. Thankfully, there have been lots of offers,” says the actor, who has Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Yash, Akshay Shere’s Bhagwat, and Jolly LLB 3 in the pipeline.