Welcome 3: Sanjay Dutt did not have a fallout with Akshay Kumar, here’s the REAL reason why he quit months ago

It was no less than a delight for movie buffs when Akshay Kumar announced the third instalment in the Welcome franchise, titled Welcome To The Jungle. In the announcement video, our beloved Munna and Circuit aka Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi could be seen standing right next to Akshay. This unexpected reunion certainly sent us over the moon with joy. So it was heartbreaking when buzz suggested that Sanju baba is no longer a part of the project. Well, the report is true but contrary to rumours his exit is not because of a fallout with co-star Akshay. A source has revealed that Sanjay opted out of Welcome 3 months ago because he was unable to keep up with the action segments after his long battle with cancer.

A close source disclosed, “Sanjay was very enthusiastic about the film and had even begun shooting. Unfortunately, after completing just one day of filming in Madh Island, a few months back, he informed the director that he couldn't continue due to health reasons following his battle with cancer and the subsequent treatments. Although Welcome 3 is a masala movie filled with humour, it also involves a lot of action (Sanjay's character had a lot of action in the movie), which he didn't anticipate and found himself unable to perform.”

Dutt was reportedly diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, though his family never revealed specific details. In August 2020, the Munna Bhai MBBS star announced his cancer diagnosis. Months later, he declared that he was cancer-free. The source continues, "Arshad (Warsi) was quite happy to reconnect with his Munna Bhai co-star, however, it did not work out. As soon as Sanjay informed the team about his decision, Suniel Shetty stepped up to fill in for the former's role. The filming is almost done and the crew is surprised as to why this negative news has been doing rounds now because this all happened many months ago."

Apart from Akshay, Arshad and Suniel, Welcome 3 has an ensemble cast including Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta Bhupati, Jacqueliene Fernandez, Disha Patani, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade and Krushna Abhishek, to name a few. Ahmed Khan is directing the film, which is all set to arrive in theatres this December.