Suniel Shetty admits box office anxiety never goes away, calls Welcome to the Jungle's big star cast ‘a safety net’
Suniel Shetty spoke about how actors never stop being nervous or excited for the box-office prospects of their films.
In a career that has spanned over three decades, Suniel Shetty has more than 100 films to his credit. Yet, the actor says the nervousness before a release has never disappeared. Ahead of the release of his upcoming multi-starrer Welcome to the Jungle, the actor opened up about how the uncertainty surrounding a film's box office performance still brings a mix of excitement, anxiety, and nervous anticipation.

Suniel Shetty on box office anxiety
In an interaction with ANI, Suniel Shetty spoke about what a film's release does to an actor, even after 30 years in Bollywood. Talking about the significance of box office, he said, “Everything is connected to it. A film's success is tied to its box office performance. One Friday you may be on top, and the next Friday you may not. So yes, there's always excitement, anxiety, tension, and nervous anticipation.”
Suniel's next, Welcome to the Jungle, is a comedy caper that features a host of other stars, including Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Jackie Shroff, Tusshar Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Lara Dutta, and Disha Patani. “This film has an incredible ensemble cast: Akshay, Paresh ji, Johnny bhai, Arshad, Tusshar, Shreyas, Daler paaji, and many others. There's a certain safety net that comes with having such talented people together,” Suniel said.
“The film is truly very entertaining. I can't say whether it's good or bad because everyone's perspective is different. When we watch the film, we enjoy it immensely. But when the audience watches it on Friday, their perspective can be completely different,” he added.
All about Welcome to the Jungle
A four-minute trailer of Welcome to the Jungle was recently released by the film's makers. The film places Akshay Kumar at the centre of a chaotic adventure. Welcome to the Jungle is the story of a ‘fake film’ being shot in the jungles where the cast and crew are mistaken for army personnel in an accidental clash against bandits.
Directed by Ahmed Khan, Welcome To The Jungle boasts one of the largest ensemble casts seen in a Bollywood comedy in recent years. The film also stars Farida Jalal, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Rajpal Yadav, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Aftab Shivdasani, Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Kiran Kumar, Zakir Hussain, Vindu Dara Singh, Urvashi Rautela, Hemant Pandey, Brijendra Kala, Feroze Khan, Puneet Issar, Sudesh Berry, Jeetu Verma, Vrihi Kodvara, Adityaa Singgh, and Bhagya Bhanushali, among others.
Presented by A.A. Nadiadwala, Cape of Good Films and Star Studio18 in association with Seeta Films and Rakesh Dang, produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwallah along with Rakesh Dang and Vedant Vikaas Baali, Welcome to the Jungle releases in theatres on June 26.
ABOUT THE AUTHORAbhimanyu MathurAbhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More
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