Actor Raveena Tandon says reuniting with her Mohra co-stars Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty after over two decades in Welcome to the Jungle has been a nostalgic yet heartening experience. Tandon said that while they all have evolved both personally and professionally, their core relationship remains intact. "The most beautiful thing is that while we've all grown up, evolved, and gathered so much life experience, our core equations haven't altered at all," the actor told PTI. Tandon praised Kumar, with whom she starred in several hit Hindi films of the 90s including Mohra, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Daava, Keemat: They are Back, Barood, and others, for his discipline and commitment towards his acting career. "Working with Akshay again after more than two decades, I was struck by how his legendary work ethic remains completely untouched. He is still the most disciplined, completely involved, and hardworking man on set. He genuinely deserves every bit of his longevity and success because he doesn't take a single day for granted," she said. Speaking about Shetty, Tandon said the actor has become "ageless" and "even more graceful, calm, and grounded" with time. Recalling a moment from the sets, she said, "There's a scene where Akshay and I dance together, and Suniel walked onto the set, smiled, and said, 'Arre, mere Mohra ki jodi aa gayi!', That comfort level is something money can't buy." If someone were to watch a film with the trio, Tandon said she would recommend Mohra. "It's the ultimate 90s action-thriller blueprint that brought Akshay, Suniel, and me together. It has the drama, the iconic music, which people still remix and dance to today, and it captures that distinct high-stakes, passionate energy of commercial 90s cinema perfectly," the 53-year-old actor said. Welcome to the Jungle is the third film in the Welcome franchise after Welcome (2007) and Welcome Back (2015).

 

It marks Akshay's return to the franchise after missing Welcome Back, which starred John Abraham. It is directed by Ahmed Khan and it boasts of over 30 actors including Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Lara Dutta Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, Lara Dutta, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade, among others. Tandon described the experience of working on "Welcome to the Jungle" as both joyful and challenging. "The joy is the massive, roaring energy on set. Imagine being surrounded by 34 established actors. There is never a dull moment. Off-camera, it was like a massive family reunion, chatting about our kids, laughing, and reminiscing. But the challenge is to not focus on screen time and instead find your beat within the chaos," she said. The real challenge, Tandon said is for the director, who had to ensure all the actors deliver their best. "Our director, Ahmed Khan, literally had to shout a couple of times to get us all to behave because when old friends get together, the banter just doesn't stop. As an actor, the challenge in a huge ensemble is to not be hyper-focused on 'How much screen time am I getting?' Instead, you have to find your specific beat within the group chaos," she said. Tandon called herself a spontaneous actor and said she did exactly what was required for the film and her character. "I don't believe in over-rehearsing or method acting. For me, the thrill was reading the energy in the room during a take and dropping the right expression at the exact right microsecond." Released on June 26, the action-adventure comedy has earned over Rs 50 crore at the global box office.