Ahmed Khan calls Akshay-Raveena reunion in Welcome To The Jungle a fan service
Director Ahmed Khan opened up about reuniting actors Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon in Welcome To The Jungle. He called their pairing fan service for audiences and said there was no awkwardness between the two on set.
Director Ahmed Khan called Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon's reunion in Welcome To The Jungle a fan service and said there was no awkwardness between the two actors. In a recent interview, the 52-year-old filmmaker also emphasised that Raveena had no reservations about joining the film after learning that Akshay was part of the project.
The reunion has drawn attention because Akshay, 58, and Raveena, 53, were among the most popular on-screen pairs of the 1990s and starred together in films including Mohra. They are reuniting for a Bollywood film 22 years after Police Force: An Inside Story.
Interest in their pairing has also been revived by reports from the time that linked them romantically and suggested they were briefly secretly engaged before going their separate ways. Akshay has been married to Twinkle Khanna for 25 years, and they have two children, Aarav and Nitara. Meanwhile, Raveena married Anil Thadani in 2004. They also have two children - Rasha and Ranbirvardhan.
In a conversation with Mid-Day, Ahmed said his long friendships with both actors helped him bring them on board for Welcome To The Jungle. He said they have known each other for more than three decades and are aware of what has happened in each other's lives.
When asked whether it was difficult to bring the Mohra actors together again, Ahmed said audiences wanted to see them share screen space once more. "So, why not do a fan service?" the director continued.
He added that Raveena did not hesitate when she found out Akshay was doing the comic caper. "She said, 'So what? We are all actors and grown up. We are all friends, and we will have a blast on the sets,'" Ahmed said.
Ahmed also spoke about Akshay and Raveena's dance sequence in the third instalment of the Welcome franchise. He said the sequence was choreographed by Prince Gupta and Rahul Shetty. According to Ahmed, the entire set clapped when the two performed together, and Suniel Shetty, who was also part of the 1994 film Mohra, remarked that his Mohra pair had arrived.
Recalling their off-screen equation during the shoot, Ahmed said Akshay and Raveena joked around like friends and also spoke about their children. "We reminisced about the past and work from earlier movies," he added.
Raveena's throwback to Mohra days
Raveena had earlier shared a throwback photograph with Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty from the sets of Mohra, along with behind-the-scenes pictures from the new film. She wrote, "WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. Welcome to the fun and chaos. All the best to all of us for the trailer launch tomorrow!! Will miss all of you Love from London (could be the title of part 2) (sic)".
Directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Firoz Nadiadwala, Welcome To The Jungle is slated for a theatrical release on June 26.
Director Ahmed Khan called Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon's reunion in Welcome To The Jungle a fan service and said there was no awkwardness between the two actors. In a recent interview, the 52-year-old filmmaker also emphasised that Raveena had no reservations about joining the film after learning that Akshay was part of the project.
The reunion has drawn attention because Akshay, 58, and Raveena, 53, were among the most popular on-screen pairs of the 1990s and starred together in films including Mohra. They are reuniting for a Bollywood film 22 years after Police Force: An Inside Story.
Interest in their pairing has also been revived by reports from the time that linked them romantically and suggested they were briefly secretly engaged before going their separate ways. Akshay has been married to Twinkle Khanna for 25 years, and they have two children, Aarav and Nitara. Meanwhile, Raveena married Anil Thadani in 2004. They also have two children - Rasha and Ranbirvardhan.
In a conversation with Mid-Day, Ahmed said his long friendships with both actors helped him bring them on board for Welcome To The Jungle. He said they have known each other for more than three decades and are aware of what has happened in each other's lives.
When asked whether it was difficult to bring the Mohra actors together again, Ahmed said audiences wanted to see them share screen space once more. "So, why not do a fan service?" the director continued.
He added that Raveena did not hesitate when she found out Akshay was doing the comic caper. "She said, 'So what? We are all actors and grown up. We are all friends, and we will have a blast on the sets,'" Ahmed said.
Ahmed also spoke about Akshay and Raveena's dance sequence in the third instalment of the Welcome franchise. He said the sequence was choreographed by Prince Gupta and Rahul Shetty. According to Ahmed, the entire set clapped when the two performed together, and Suniel Shetty, who was also part of the 1994 film Mohra, remarked that his Mohra pair had arrived.
Recalling their off-screen equation during the shoot, Ahmed said Akshay and Raveena joked around like friends and also spoke about their children. "We reminisced about the past and work from earlier movies," he added.
Raveena's throwback to Mohra days
Raveena had earlier shared a throwback photograph with Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty from the sets of Mohra, along with behind-the-scenes pictures from the new film. She wrote, "WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. Welcome to the fun and chaos. All the best to all of us for the trailer launch tomorrow!! Will miss all of you Love from London (could be the title of part 2) (sic)".
Directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Firoz Nadiadwala, Welcome To The Jungle is slated for a theatrical release on June 26.
