Welcome to the Jungle is a 2026 Indian Hindi-language action adventure comedy film directed by Ahmed Khan, written by Neeraj Vora, and produced by Firoz Nadiadwala, Rakesh Dang, and Vedant Vikaas Baali under Base Industries Group, Cape of Good Films and Seeta Films. The film stars an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Aftab Shivdasani and Jackie Shroff. It is the third instalment in the Welcome film series, succeeding Welcome (2007) and Welcome Back (2015). It is loosely based on the 2005 American film The Producers as well as the 2008 American film Tropic Thunder. Principal photography took place in Mumbai and the United Arab Emirates.
Welcome to the Jungle released worldwide on 26 June 2026, receiving mixed reviews from critics. It is the 5th highest-grossing Hindi film of 2026.
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Plot
In order to create a fake ₹2,000 crore movie as part of a plan to trap an international crime cartel, a huge group of gangsters, relatives, and actors head into a jungle for filming, but the fake mission turns real when terrorists attack. The clueless crew must become unlikely heroes to save themselves and the village, leading to nonstop comedy, action, and chaos.
Production
Principal photography began in December 2023. The film was shot primarily in Mumbai, where a 10-acre jungle set was constructed and a replica of a Kashmiri town was constructed at Film City, Goregaon. Filming also took place in the United Arab Emirates, across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ras Al Khaimah, where two romantic songs were filmed. In June 2025, film got delayed due to financial crises. Later November 2025, film's shoot resume with the shooting of a song sequence. Principal photography was completed in December 2025.
Music
The title track "Welcome to the Jungle" was released on 18 May 2026. The second single "Ghis Ghis Ghis" was released on 25 May 2026. The third song "Ucha Lamba Kad Forever" was a recreated version of "Uncha Lamba Kad" from the first film, and was released on 1 June 2026. The fourth single "Deewane Hain" was released on 18 June 2026. The fifth single "Tera Paisa Mera Paisa" was released on 23 June 2026.
The song "Kaanta Laga" sung by Lata Mangeshkar and composed by R. D. Burman from the film, Samadhi (1972) and its 2002 remix by DJ Doll, featured in a sequence with Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez and Farida Jalal.
Release
Theatrical
Welcome to the Jungle was worldwide theatrical released on 26 June 2026. Paid preview night shows were held on 25 June 2026.
Certification
The film received a UA 16+ certificate on 22 June 2026 by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in a total duration of 164 minutes.
Reception
Box office
On its opening day, the film earned ₹14.80 crore at the domestic box office. Paid preview screenings held a day prior to its release contributed an additional ₹3.93 crore, taking the film's opening collection to ₹18.73 crore.
Welcome to the Jungle grossed ₹186.33 crore (US$19 million) worldwide. It grossed ₹155.2 crore (US$16 million) in India and ₹31.13 crore (US$3.2 million) in overseas market.
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.10/10.
A critic at Bollywood Hungama awarded Welcome to the Jungle 3.5 stars out of 5, concluding, "On the whole, WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE is a madcap, no-holds-barred comic entertainer that works due to its brainrot humour, grand scale, massy moments and unexpected developments. The film is not for those seeking logic or subtlety. However, its unabashed madness and crowd-pleasing moments give it a strong chance to find favour in mass centres. At the box office, it can emerge as a wholesome entertainer for viewers looking for paisa-vasool fun."
Titas Chowdhury of News18 gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 also, writing, "Basically, Welcome To The Jungle throws everything at the wall, right from meta humour, slapstick and nostalgia to action and gibberish, and somehow, enough of it sticks. There’s nothing that lies beneath the noise and it may not make sense, but then again, sense was never really the point. It works best when you surrender to its wild, logic-defying energy and simply go along for the ride."
A critic at Scroll noted, "A comedy inspired by The Producers and Tropic Thunder, which itself is ripe for parody, cheerfully acknowledges its unending appetite for nonsensical scenes." Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India juxtaposed, "Whereas Tropic Thunder sent up everything from method acting to war-movie tropes, Welcome to the Jungle spoofs its own ilk: tax-evasion projects disguised as jingoistic spectacles, opportunistic filmmakers, exes working together, spineless stars who magically grow a conscience, film industries preying on the anxieties of a nation, and the formula of box-office success. The premise is localised."
Agnivo Niyogi of The Telegraph pointed out, "Yet throughout the film, one cannot help but miss the manic brilliance that Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor brought to the earlier Welcome films. Their absence leaves a noticeable void that no amount of star power quite manages to fill.
Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times gave the film 3 stars out of 5, praising the comic timing of Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav, acting performances of the ensemble cast, chemistry of Akshay Kumar with his Hera Pheri colleagues (Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav) and dialogues by Farhad Samji, however being disappointed by the film's soundtrack and finding the climax too stretched out.