Welcome 3 to get new Uday, Majnu bhai in Arshad Warsi, Sanjay Dutt?

Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi are reportedly reuniting for Anees Bazmee's directorial Welcome 3. The actors have worked together before in the acclaimed Munna Bhai franchise, so their pairing is naturally much-awaited. However, the makers are yet to confirm the news. 

The Newsmakers 

To note, Welcome 3 is a sequel to the 2015 movie Welcome Back. In Welcome and Welcome Back, Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar were seen as gangster brothers Uday and Majnu Bhai, respectively. Since the release of the movies, both these characters achieved cult status with time.  

(Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar played a major part in both Welcome and Welcome Back | Image: Twitter)

Akshay Kumar, who headlined both the previous films, is said to play the lead in the third instalment as well. However, for now, the director of the movie and all other details are being kept under wraps. 

Who’s saying what

A source has confirmed to Pinkvilla that Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi have stepped in for the roles of Majnu Bhai and Uday. They have also revealed that the script of the film has been locked and Welcome 3 is expected to go on the floors next year. Reportedly, disagreements with the production house over money are being cited as the reason behind Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar's replacement. Meanwhile, Welcome 3 is being bankrolled by Firoz Nadiadwala.

(Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi gained critical acclaim for their portrayal of Munna Bhai and Circuit respectively | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

Previously, in an interview with a leading media portal, Arshad Warsi stated that he is part of Welcome 3. The actor mentioned that along with him and Akshay Kumar, the film also stars Sanjay Dutt and Paresh Rawal. However, he did not disclose anything about his role in Welcome 3. The Asur star also claimed that the scale of the film is “unreal”. 

Meanwhile… 

Work on Welcome 3 will reportedly start after Akshay completes the shoot for Jolly LLB 3 and Housefull 5. In Jolly LLB 3, he is co-starring with Warsi. The shooting schedule will commence next year, confirmed the Dhamaal actor last month. Warsi also batted for Munna Bhai 3 and told Variety recently that director Rajkumar Hirani has three scripts ready and that the third part should be made to give closure.