EXCLUSIVE| Arshad Warsi confirms Welcome 3: I am starring in it with Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, it’s a huge film

Amidst a barrage of rumours and unverified reports, HT City finally brings to you a confirmation, from the horse’s mouth: Yes, Welcome 3 is being made! Arshad Warsi, much loved in his comedy roles as he is for his dramatic ones, tells us the same as he lounges around in his bungalow, dressed in a comfortable tee and shorts.

“The scale of Welcome 3: the cost, the climax, is unreal. It is an insanely larger than life theatrical film which I will be a part of. It has me, Akshay Kumar, Sanju (Sanjay Dutt), Paresh Rawal and lots of other people,” he beams.

We reach this finding when we ask why we haven’t seen much of Warsi much on the big screen in the last couple of years. On OTT, however he tasted success with Asur’s second season released recently. The 55-year-old says, “The whole scenario has changed in cinema. Now all the movies releasing in theatres are superhero films. They are huge, larger than life, it’s bizarre. I am seeing myself that way. To do a small bit in these big films, I don’t fancy that. For me, job satisfaction is most important. These are films which will pay me tonnes of money. The ones I have got offered, I didn’t fancy very much. The one I am doing is Welcome 3.”

While he “doubts” but doesn’t “negate” Munnabhai 3 being made, he spills the beans on another franchise film he is doing: Jolly LLB 3, which brings him and Akshay together. “We start shooting in January. It is one of those films that tell you the truth of how things run in the world, good versus bad,” he says. It almost feels surreal that the first one starred him, second one had Kumar, and the third brings both of them together. It wasn’t meant to be like this though.

Why did he go missing from Jolly LLB 2? “I have no idea,” Warsi replies, “I have a feeling the makers wanted to upscale the film. I remember I told Subhash (Kapoor, director) also ‘You should do it with Akshay. If you want to show crowd in a courtroom, with me it will be 500, with Akshay you will get 5000’ Somewhere, the production people realised ‘let’s get a bigger star’… People liked to see me, so I am back. People will enjoy seeing me and Akshay.”