Akshay Kumar's 'Welcome to the Jungle' Cleared by CBFC with 18 Cuts

The highly anticipated third installment of the Welcome franchise, Welcome to the Jungle, has officially been cleared for its theatrical release on June 26. However, director Ahmed Khan’s star-studded comedy had to undergo significant modifications before receiving the green light.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) granted the film a UA 16+ certification after demanding a total of 18 cuts and modifications, trimming down specific visuals and dialogues.

Censors Demand Major Visual and Dialogue Changes

According to the official censor certificate, the CBFC ordered the removal or alteration of several scenes to secure the release. The changes target a mix of dialogue and visual content, including:

• Visual Trims: Deletion of "sensual" bikini visuals and body movements featuring actresses Disha Patani and Jacqueline Fernandez.

• Song Modifications: Close-ups of women’s hips and specific hip movements in a song sequence were cut.

• Comedic Replacements: Certain "vulgar" hand gestures and censored visual moments were replaced with a close-up shot of actor Vindu Dara Singh.

• Dialogue Edits: Multiple lines of dialogue were deleted or modified, including a specific reference to Kashmir.

In total, the physical deletions amounted to 10 seconds of footage, leaving the film with a finalized runtime of 2 hours and 44 minutes.

What is 'Welcome to the Jungle' About?

The official synopsis, certified on June 20, promises the same trademark chaos that fans loved in the original movies, mixed with a meta-movie storyline:

“In the madcap world of Welcome, where chaos is always just one bad idea away, comes its wildest chapter yet—Welcome to the Jungle. A billionaire, looking to fake losses, hatches a ridiculous plan—to make a film that’s guaranteed to fail. For the job, he assembles the most unreliable crew imaginable: a fading superstar, a clueless director duo.”

Cast and Crew

Welcome to the Jungle features a massive ensemble cast led by Akshay Kumar, alongside Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Aftab Shivdasani, Jackie Shroff, and Paresh Rawal.