New Delhi: The cast of the third installment of the popular comedy franchise Welcome was recently announced. Titled ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, the film stars Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Tusshar Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani among others. The most loved duo of the Welcome franchise Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor, who played Uday Shetty and Majnu Bhai, are not a part of the film and fans have expressed disappointment over their absence. Nana Patekar reacted to not being part of the film during a recent event.
At the trailer launch of his upcoming film, The Vaccine War, when asked about the same, Patekar told media, “I am not a part of it, maybe they think hum bahut puraane ho gaye hai (Maybe they think I have become old and dated).”
Pointing at director Vivek Agnihotri, who shared the stage with the actor, he said, "He doesn't think I have become so old, so he cast me in his film. It's that simple."
'The Vaccine' War marks Nana Patekar’s return to the big screen five years after 'Kaala'. Speaking about his absence, the actor told media, “The industry will never shut its door on you if you want to do good work. People will keep coming to you and offer you parts if you want to keep working hard. You need to know if you want to do a role. I look at every film as my first and last chance. Everyone gets a chance, it’s up to them whether you want to do it or not.”
'The Vaccine War' is a medical thriller film directed by Vivek and produced by Pallavi Joshi. It is based on the true story of the development of Covaxin during Covid-19 pandemic in India. The film features Nana Patekar, Pallavi Joshi, Raima Sen, Anupam Kher, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Sapthami Gowda and Mohan Kapur. The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on September 28, 2023.