Although Suniel Shetty was initially hesitant about joining Welcome To The Jungle, today, the actor is happy he did a rethink. Ahmed Khan’s directorial venture has reportedly crossed the Rs 50 crore mark over its first weekend.

“Initially I was skeptical about doing it as I wasn’t sure whether justice could be done to so many actors,” said Shetty of the ensemble film that has a principal cast of 30-plus actors. “I knew the script was over-the-top but because I was comfortable with my producer Firoz A Nadiadwallah and Ahmed, I said yes to it.” 

Many have drawn parallels between Welcome To The Jungle — also starring Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, and Disha Patani, among others — and Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder (2008) where a film crew’s shoot in the jungle turns into a real-life combat operation.

The comparisons don’t affect Shetty, who reasoned, “Comparisons will keep happening. What makes a difference is the writing, performances, the director’s vision, and our belief that over-the-top, brain rot cinema will also work. We are nobody to judge. Audiences have enjoyed Welcome To The Jungle.”

After the laugh riot, the senior actor is shifting gears to the action thriller, Hitman. In the Sachin Ravi-directed offering, Shetty plays a mentor to Tiger Shroff’s character. Chatter suggests that Shetty’s role has grey shades — something that he remained tight-lipped about, only saying, “I cannot say anything till the producer announces it. Grey is always good, but black never is.”

Suniel Shetty noted that making comedy films is as important as doing spectacle films like ‘Dhurandhar’. “I love Aditya Dhar’s cinema. For me, entertainment is [a movie] that appeals to kids and families. The way they are going to the theatres for ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ speaks for itself,” he said.