“Welcome to the Jungle” may have crossed the Rs 186-crore mark at the global box office, but its response has drawn criticism for a slow, congested second half that bears clear resemblance to Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder.” Recently, the screenwriter of the film was interviewed Farhad Samji All problems solved: from finishing what late screenwriter Neeraj Vohra started, to how Akshay Kumar In response to playing a hero whose movies always fail on screen.
Farhad Samji on advancing Neeraj Vohra’s vision
In a conversation with SCREEN, Samji explained that the original script for the film came from Neeraj Vohra, who passed away in 2017, after which Samji stepped in to handle the dialogues and characterization.Farhad said, “Neeraj Vohra sang some of the biggest hits of his time. As a writer, I connected with Bol Bachchan during his days. He acted in that movie and as writers we would constantly share ideas. The idea for Welcome to the Jungle was told to me by Mr. Feroze; they wanted me to write the dialogues. After Golmaals and Housefulls, dialogue becomes very important. It will take time, but everything is falling into place. It took us three and a half years to shoot, narrate and produce this film; it was not an easy process. “The author adds, “I didn’t need to change anything. I focused on characterization – Kiran Kumar’s dialogue delivery, Farida Jalal’s character and Johnny Levy’s muting while speaking; all these were incorporated by me. There are 34 actors in the film and you relate to all of them, which brings pressure. I have done 13 films with Akshay, Johnny Levy and Arshad. I have worked in 18-19 films together. What worked for me was transparency.“
Akshay Kumar’s reaction to playing ‘failed actor’
One of the most talked-about threads in the film is Akshay Kumar’s portrayal of a Bhojpuri actor whose last 14 films have floundered, a plot point that many viewers have linked to Kumar’s own recent box office success. According to Samji, the actor wasn’t bothered by the resemblance at all.Farhad reveals, “I went to London and narrated the first draft of Wilkin’s film for Akshay, while he was shooting for Khel Khel Mein there. I was also curious how he would react to the failed casting sequence, since he played a failed actor who had failed miserably in 14 films.” He embraced it and said it was the best line in the entire sequence. He knew the situation in the movie called for it; it wasn’t a joke on him. “Farhan added, “Discussions of black money sequences or vanity vans are not our first criteria; we are taking Neeraj Wala’s script and adding laughs to it. In Welcome to the Jungle, we know that this world has producers, vanity vans, etc. Firoz Nadiadwala, myself and Ahmed Khan have been around for 25 years; these discussions happened, the fight over the vanity van happened, so why not write it out? But the idea was not to put a scene in because we wanted to act out it; those sequences were like adding masala to the story. We wrote 20 to 25 drafts, sat down multiple times before shooting the sequence, and made changes based on the actors before each schedule. We thought of many ifs, buts, and alternatives. “
Addressing ‘Tropic Thunder’ comparisons and crowded second half
Regarding criticism of the film’s crowded frame and its similarity to Tropic Thunder, Samji noted the creative tension on the set, “Feroz still thought the frame was empty. Ahmed and I tried to explain to him that that was enough. He wanted to add more characters; he wanted actors from other states as well. We also had to be logical, so there had to be quantity in the scene. I didn’t see Tropic Thunder until I was told the script, and then I just followed the script I was given. When I was dealing with the characters, even the second half of the story was different from Tropic Thunder. But the reality is, we compete in some aspects, so there will be similarities, but we try to add freshness. “Samji also touched on the wider pressures writers face today, saying: “Today, as a creative, there is a filter in your head. While the first draft will be open-minded, there are a few things you must keep in mind when revising. Sometimes, in some places, people feel offended even if we don’t have any such intention. So we have to keep a filter, but this kind of comedy is taken for granted and people don’t look at it closely. It would be another thing if someone sat back and picked flaws, but I don’t think audiences will do that. If I kept thinking about this, I wouldn’t be able to write. “
What’s next for Farhad Samji?
Samji revealed that he is currently developing three to four new scripts and is expected to announce his next directorial project soon.
More information about Welcome to the Jungle
Directed by Ahmed Khan, Welcome to the Jungle is a star-studded action comedy starring Akshay Kumar in the lead, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Disha Patani and Jacqueline Fernandez. There are a total of 34 actors in the starring and supporting roles. The story follows a corrupt tycoon who deliberately finances a doomed big-budget film in an attempt to launder his money, only to find the unsuspecting director and a fading superstar embroiled in a real-life terrorist standoff in the fictional village of Azad Nagar.