Welcome to the Jungle director Ahmed Khan on navigating production hurdles and why his star-studded cast kept the faith

Months before Welcome to the Jungle hit theatres, the film made headlines as much for reports of delays and production hurdles as for its sprawling ensemble cast. Mounting a comedy with more than two dozen actors was never going to be easy, but director Ahmed Khan says he never let the speculation shake his confidence.As he celebrates the film’s success, he says, “It took a while to make because there were so many actors, and they were all busy. Coordinating everyone’s dates was a challenge for the production. But the support from the actors made it happen. Big-scale films always attract chatter, and this one was no different. I never lost my morale because I always knew we’d reach the finish line.”Khan credits the cast for keeping spirits high throughout the shoot. “The beauty of this film was that the entire cast became the morale of the film. Nobody worried about who would get more screen time or who would overshadow whom. Everyone came together for the film.” Recalling the shoot, he adds, “Imagine having Kiku Sharda, Krushna Abhishek, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Aftab Shivdasani, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Anna (Suniel Shetty) and Akshay Kumar on one set. You can imagine the fun we had. I cherish every day of that shoot.”He concludes, saying, "People change, actors change, technicians change—it’s part of filmmaking. This is my 10th film, and every film undergoes changes. It’s never against the film. Someone misses one film and joins the next. We are one industry, and we’re all in this together."