(L-R) Suniel Shetty and Roopesh Shetty in ‘Jai’; (right) Ahmed Khan directing Shetty (holding drums) and Tusshar Kapoor in ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, where th senior actor will be seen in three songs of the comedy caper
(L-R) Suniel Shetty and Roopesh Shetty in ‘Jai’; (right) Ahmed Khan directing Shetty (holding drums) and Tusshar Kapoor in ‘Welcome To The Jungle’

Recreating his iconic comic character in ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, Suniel Shetty on exploring the role differently; giving back to his Tulu roots with ‘Jai’
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; November 16, 2025)

He is suave, eccentric, unpredictable, and violent in nature. That is Yeda Anna — Suniel Shetty’s iconic character from the hit 2005 film Awara Paagal Deewana — in a nutshell. Now, he is gearing up to bring this crazy persona back to the screen with Ahmed Khan’s Welcome To The Jungle. So, if you suddenly hear the actor saying, “Yeda hoon par tera baap nahin hoon!”, don’t be too surprised. This week, Shetty wrapped up a schedule of the ensemble comedy in Film City, Mumbai.

He is suave, eccentric, unpredictable, and violent in nature. That is Yeda Anna — Suniel Shetty’s iconic character from the hit 2005 film Awara Pagal Deewana — in a nutshell. Now, he is gearing up to bring this crazy persona back to the screen with Ahmed Khan’s Welcome To The Jungle. So, if you suddenly hear the actor saying, “Yeda hoon par tera baap nahin hoon!”, don’t be too surprised.

This week, Shetty wrapped up a schedule of the ensemble comedy in Film City, Mumbai. “All of us are in every scene, so the humour is for each and every fan of all the stars.”

Welcome To The Jungle features Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Raveena Tandon, Mithun Chakraborty, Disha Patani, Kiran Kumar, Farida Jalal, Arshad Warsi, Lever, Rawal, Tusshar Kapoor, Krushna Abhishek, and Shreyas Talpade, among others.

There is another reason why Shetty is on a high — for being called the complete man in a recent clothing brand’s ad and his debut in the Tulu film industry with Jai, which has “opened on an excellent note”. Doing the film — which is also released in Kannada — is his way of giving back to his Tulu roots, he says. “I did this film because it’s a small film industry, it needed the recognition. I didn’t take a single rupee for it because I wanted to give back [to my community],” says the actor, adding that ultimately only content can elevate a film. With the barrier between regions diminishing, good content will always thrive, irrespective of its language, he shares.