Mahurat Shot of 'Welcome Back'

It seems to be raining franchises in Bollywood. The Bhatts and Chopras (Aditya Chopra and Vidhu Vinod Chopra) are famous for it. Joining the bandwagon now is Firoz Nadiadwala who announced ‘Welcome Back’ - a sequel to his 2007 blockbuster comic caper ‘Welcome’ - at a suburban five-star yesterday. The glittering ceremony saw all five stars of the movie in attendance. Kick starting the proceedings was debonair dude John Abraham who has replaced Akshay Kumar in the sequel. Dressed in a jet black suit, John looked strikingly handsome as he posed for the shutterbugs with his co-star in the movie Shruti Haasan. Later, the other actors of the movie, all dressed in rich blazers, sashayed down the ramp. Welcome Back will be directed by Anees Bazmee who also directed Welcome. John and Shruti are the new additions to the franchise. It is believed that producer Firoz Nadiadwala had a fall-out with Akshay Kumar due to which the latter is not a part of the sequel. Director Anees Bazmee however clarified that John wouldn’t be stepping into Akshay’s shoes as they have created a new role for John. The movie may also see Amitabh Bachchan reprising the role of the legendary Feroz Khan who was a part of Welcome. Firoz said that they have approached Amitabh with the role and are waiting for a positive revert from the legend. The makers of the movie however stopped short of revealing the name of the actress who would be replacing Mallika Sherwat’s in the sequel. When asked, Nana Patekar admitted that there is a new girl in place of Mallika but he couldn’t reveal her name. Sequels haven’t had a great run in Indian market. Let’s hope Welcome Back, proves otherwise. The filmmakers are aiming for a March 2014 release.