Entertainment

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; June 30, 2026 | Mumbai : Director Ahmed Khan has made a surprising revelation about the making of Welcome to the Jungle, claiming that the multi-starrer comedy featuring more than 30 mainstream Bollywood actors was completed on a budget of just ₹115–125 crore. Despite its massive ensemble cast, elaborate action sequences, songs, and large-scale production, Khan said the filmmakers successfully kept costs under control, making the project financially viable even before its theatrical release.

Speaking in a recent interview, Ahmed Khan said the film's total expenditure, including production costs, action sequences, music, and interest expenses, did not exceed ₹125 crore. According to him, the production team maintained strict financial discipline throughout the filmmaking process while managing one of the largest casts seen in a Bollywood entertainer. 

The director further revealed that the film had already recovered its production cost before its theatrical release through the sale of digital streaming rights, satellite television rights, music rights, and overseas distribution rights. As a result, he stated that the film had already reached the break-even point before arriving in cinemas, meaning that the box office collections are now contributing directly to profits. 

Ahmed Khan also disclosed that the entire film was completed in just 75 shooting shifts, with each shift lasting approximately eight hours. He explained that although every shooting day was scheduled for eight hours, only around six to six-and-a-half hours were actually available for filming because the remaining time was consumed by breaks and logistical arrangements required for such a large production. 

Managing the film's enormous cast and crew presented a significant logistical challenge. According to the director, nearly 700 to 900 people were present on the set almost every day. Apart from the principal cast, each actor was accompanied by personal staff members, resulting in nearly 150 entourage members in addition to the performers themselves. To accommodate everyone, the production team required two large adjoining grounds and space to park nearly 50 vanity vans during filming. 

Industry reports have also suggested that lead actor Akshay Kumar did not charge an upfront acting fee for the film. Instead, he reportedly opted for a profit-sharing arrangement with the producers. Reports further indicated that approximately ₹60 crore of the budget was allocated to production expenses, around ₹35 crore was spent on the supporting cast, while nearly ₹15 crore each was used for technical crew expenses and print and publicity. These figures were cited in industry reports and were not independently confirmed by the filmmakers. 

Welcome to the Jungle features one of the biggest ensemble casts in recent Bollywood history, including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Jackie Shroff, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, Disha Patani, Raveena Tandon, Jacqueline Fernandez, Lara Dutta, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Kiku Sharda, Krushna Abhishek, Shreyas Talpade, Urvashi Rautela, Mika Singh, Daler Mehndi, Farida Jalal, Zakir Hussain, Vindu Dara Singh, Yashpal Sharma, Kiran Kumar, and several others. 

Ahmed Khan's comments have generated considerable interest within the film industry, as producing a large-scale commercial entertainer with such an extensive cast on a comparatively controlled budget is regarded as an uncommon achievement in contemporary Bollywood. The film has also reportedly crossed ₹100 crore in worldwide box office collections, further strengthening its commercial performance after release.