John Abraham to return to Welcome franchise

Welcome is one of the most successful comedy film franchises that Bollywood has ever produced. While the first instalment of the franchise had superstar Akshay Kumar leading the cast, the sequel starred John Abraham as the male lead. Both films were big commercial successes at the box-office and still draw a huge chunk of the audience on their television premieres.

After the smashing success of Welcome (2007) and Welcome Back (2015), producer Firoz Nadiadwala is planning to bring back the comedy madness once again. Yes, you heard that right! Rumours are rife in Bollywood corridors that the makers have begun preparations for the third instalment of the franchise.

If reports are to be believed, the third instalment of the Welcome franchise has been titled Welcome Home, with John Abraham returning to play the lead role once again. We also hear that not only John Abraham but Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar will also join the star cast to reprise their respective roles. The makers are currently looking for female leads.

However, filmmaker Anees Bazmee, who called the shots for the previous two instalments of the franchise, will not be returning to helm Welcome Home. Buzz has it that the directorial baton may be passed on to filmmaker Ahmed Khan who is presently busy preparing for his next venture Baaghi 3 with Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor.

A source close to the development has revealed that Khan will commence shooting for Welcome Home once he has completed action entertainer Baaghi 3. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Baaghi 3 is slated to release in March 2020.

Meanwhile, John Abraham is currently busy promoting his next film, Batla House. He is also shooting for his upcoming comic-caper Pagalpanti with director Anees Bazmee. Besides him, the movie also features Anil Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Ileana D’Cruz and Kriti Kharbanda.