Welcome (Hindi: वेलकम) is a 2007 Bollywood masala comedy film directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwala & Ronnie Screwvala under the banner of UTV Motion Pictures. The film features a large ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Malika Sherawat and Feroz Khan in last film appearance, whilst Sunil Shetty makes a guest appearance and Malaika Arora Khan appears in an item number.
Welcome released worldwide on 21 December 2007, to mixed critical reviews and despite initial competition from Taare Zameen Par, was a strong financial success at the box office both in India[9] and overseas.
Plot[]
Uday (Nana Patekar), a criminal don, takes it upon himself to get his kindhearted sister, Sanjana (Katrina Kaif) married, but he is unsuccessful since no one wants to be associated with a crime family. Dr. Ghunghroo (Paresh Rawal) has also been trying to get his nephew, Rajiv (Akshay Kumar), married but due to his condition—the alliance must be with a purely decent family—he is also unsuccessful. When Rajiv jumps into a burning building to save Sanjana, he is smitten by her. Uday and Majnu (Anil Kapoor), Uday's brother, hatch a plan for an alliance with Dr. Ghunghroo. The plan works and Dr. Ghunghroo confirms the alliance, thinking that Uday is a very decent man. But when he is later told that Uday and Majnu are mobsters, he quickly takes his family and flees to Sun City, South Africa to escape. However, Majnu and Sanjana have come to Sun City as well. Rajiv meets Sanjana again and the two fall in love. Dr. Ghunghroo reconciles with Uday and Majnu and finally agrees to the alliance. Uday and Majnu invite a powerful don of the underworld, RDX (Feroz Khan) to the engagement. At the party, a girl named Ishika (Malika Sherawat) arrives, claiming to be Rajiv's childhood betrothed. Ishika is actually the sister-in-law of Dr.Ghunghroo that Dr. Ghunghroo asked to come and try to break off the engagement. Ishika manages to do so, leaving Rajiv and Sanjana heartbroken. Dr. Ghunghroo reveals that he did this for Rajiv's mother, who had married into a crime family and was harassed and tortured, thus telling Dr. Ghunghroo to raise Rajiv away from crime when he was born. Dr. Ghunghroo decides he will agree to the marriage only if Uday and Majnu give up their life of crime. Rajiv and Sanjana do this by reawakening Uday's love for acting and encouraging Majnu to pursue his love for painting. With these things keeping them busy, Uday and Majnu have no time for crime anymore. Rajiv's actions anger RDX's son, Lucky, who attempts to shoot Rajiv. Sanjana gets hold of the gun and fires a shot that hits Lucky, causing him to go unconscious. RDX is informed of his son's death and comes to attend the cremation. However Lucky, who is still alive, escapes, trying to show his father that he's actually alive. RDX sets the pile of wood on fire, believing he is cremating his son's body. However Lucky, who had been hiding under the wood, jumps out upon realizing the wood is on fire, and the truth is revealed to RDX. Rajiv, Ghunghroo, his wife, Ishika, Uday, Majnu and Sanjana are captured by RDX and brought to a cabin set next to a cliff. The frightened group is forced to play "Hot Potato" with a globe—but the one who ends up with the globe must jump off the cliff. When Rajiv refuses to pass the globe to Sanjana, Lucky angrily yanks it out of his hands, just as the music stops. Now that his son has the globe, RDX figures the only way he can maintain his image is by killing everyone. Before he can, several government brokers sneak up and cut the footings of the cabin, causing the house to start falling over the cliff, with everyone trapped inside. However, the cabin is suspended by only one column. Hilarious chaos ensues as the group tries to balance the cabin together and keep it from falling off the cliff. Rajiv finds a rope and the group uses it to get back onto stable ground. But to everyone's shock, the floor broke and Lucky was hanging on the edge of the cabin. While Rajiv is trying to rescue him, Sanjana reveal the truth to everyone that she was the one who shot Lucky, but Rajiv blamed himself so that Sanjana won't get in trouble. After Rajiv rescued Lucky, the cabin he is standing on fell off a cliff. Sanjana kept crying for him thinking he is dead. However, Rajiv survived the event and is reunited with Sanjana and his family. Lucky and RDX are grateful to Rajiv for saving their lives and RDX gives up his life of crime, allowing Rajiv and Sanjana to finally get married.
Cast[]
Akshay Kumar as Rajiv Saini Nana Patekar as Uday Shankar Shetty Anil Kapoor as Sagar Pandey aka Majnu Bhai Feroz Khan as Ranvir Dhanraj Xaka (RDX) Katrina Kaif as Sanjana Shetty Mallika Sherawat as Ishika / Isha Paresh Rawal as Dr. Ghunghroo Supriya Karnik as Mrs. Ghunghroo Sanjay Mishra as The Pandit Malaika Arora Special Appearance in song 'Hoth Rasiley' Sunil Shetty as Himself (Guest Appearance) Mushtaq Khan as Ballu Paresh Ganatra as Pappu the Municipality worker Ranjeet as Kapoor Vijay Raaz as Fake Bollywood Director Asrani as Fake Bollywood Producer Snehal Dabi as Majnu Bhai's goon Shereveer Vakil as Lucky (RDX's son) Adi Irani as Uday's lawyer Harry Josh as Majnu bhai's goon
Critical Reception[]
The film received mixed reviews from critics and holds an average rating of 5.8 on IMDb out of 10.
Box Office[]
At the box office, Welcome opened to a massive response locally, by grossing 35 crore (US$5.6 million) on its opening week. Despite facing competition from the popular Aamir Khan-starrer, Taare Zameen Par which was also a huge success, Welcome grossed 71 crore (US$11 million) domestically, and was elevated to "Blockbuster" verdict. Soon enough, it became the second highest grossing film of 2007, just behind Om Shanti Om. The worldwide gross was around 116 crore (US$18 million).
Sequel[]
An sequel to the film, apparently titled Welcome Back has started filming apparently. The sequel supposedly features John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Paresh Rawal and Shruti Haasan, with Kapoor and Patekar reprising their roles from the previous film. The sequel is expected to release sometime in 2014 apparently.
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