'Welcome Back' has twice the extravagance and laughter of its earlier part

Bollywood sequels are turning out to be lucrative at the box office. This week comes yet another sequel, Welcome Back, produced by Firoz A Nadiadwallah under his banner, Base Industries Group. Its ensemble cast, astounding locations, high-octane action, foot-tapping music and the direction of Anees Bazmee, promises double the extravagance and laughter of Welcome (2007).
What is it about?
Uday (Nana Patekar) and Majnu (Anil Kapoor), the bhais of the first part have quit the underworld and have become businessmen. Two women, Chandni (Ankita Srivastava) and Maharani (Dimple Kapadia) posing as Princess and Queen of Najafgarh, enter their lives and the men can’t wait to tie the knot with them. But first, their stepsister Ranjana (Shruti Haasan) has to be married off. Enters Ajay aka Ajju (John Abraham), a street smart bhai from Mumbai, who falls in love with Ranjana. Having moved away from crime themselves, Uday and Majnu try every trick to separate the young couple, but in vain. That’s when they decide to take help from the most powerful underworld don, Wanted Bhai (Naseeruddin Shah). How Ajju saves Ranjana from the clutches of Wanted Bhai and his son (Shiney Ahuja) forms the climax of this comedy.

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Behind the scenes
Nana would affectionately call John as ‘Johnu’ throughout the shoot.
The makers apparently spent a whopping crore on Dimple’s outfits.
This movie helped director Bazmee fulfill his dream of working with Dimple. He was an assistant director on Lava (1985), in which she played the lead and he had been keen on working with her ever since.
Nana and Paresh would constantly converse with each other in Marathi both on and off the set.
John suffered an injury while shooting for a fight sequence. The stuntmen were supposed to punch him on the shoulder, but accidentally hit his head.
The Royal Family of Dubai lent their personal helicopter for the film shoot.
Ankita Shrivastav designed her own outfits.
Shiney Ahuja, who sports a temporary tattoo in the film, came to the set four hours early every day to get inked.
A highlight comedy sequence was shot at The Meydan, said to be the world’s first five-star track-side hotel. It has a 2,400 metre left-handed turf race track and a left-handed 8.75-furlong (1,750 metres) tapeta synthetic dirt course.
John will be seen driving a bright red luxury sports car with a number plate reading ‘786’. Producer Firoz considers it his lucky number.
Welcome Back is the first Bollywood film to be shot inside the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. Previously, the Hollywood film Fast And Furious was shot there.
A replica of Emirates Palace was re-created in Mumbai’s Film City to shoot 'Tutti', a special song in the movie.
This film marks John’s debut as a singer. The number, 'Banja meri bayko', has been composed by Anu Malik.
For a particular scene that was shot in Dubai’s Margham Desert, the makers had to arrange for 1000 camels.
Director’s Take
Anees Bazmee
Judging the kind of response Welcome received, Firoz bhai told me that we should make a sequel without getting pressurised by the expectations. I believe Welcome Back should do justice and be better than the first installment. That’s why it took me nearly eight years to think of an idea for the second part. This film is a clean family entertainer. I don’t see the need to make vulgar content. If one has faith in one’s writing capabilities, no shortcuts are needed.

Producer’s Note
Firoz A Nadiadwallah

Ask a producer or director what are the highlights of his film and without a doubt he’ll say that everything he has done in it, are its highlights. Welcome Back is a complete entertainer with some of the most talented stars, lush and beautiful locations, a fantastic soundtrack and technical finesse at par with the West. This film has all the elements meant to give the audience the time of their lives.
Welcome Back, released worldwide by Eros International, opens in cinemas on September 4.
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Listen to Welcome Back songs on Gaana.com
WATCH: Welcome Back: Emirates Palace Of Abu Dhabi Will Be Naseer’s Home In The Film - BT