Welcome is an Indian Hindi-language comedy film franchise produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwala under the banner Base Industries Group. The series is known for its ensemble casts, slapstick humour, underworld-themed plots and elaborate song-and-dance sequences. The first instalment, Welcome, was released in 2007 and directed by Anees Bazmee, who also returned for subsequent films in the franchise.
| Franchise | Welcome |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy, action comedy |
| Language | Hindi |
| Producer | Firoz A. Nadiadwala |
| Production banner | Base Industries Group |
| First film | Welcome (2007) |
| Director (recurring) | Anees Bazmee |
| Recurring actors | Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Paresh Rawal |
The franchise revolves around a set of gangsters who try to leave their criminal pasts behind, often by attempting to marry into respectable families, only to be pulled back into chaos through misunderstandings, rivalries and farcical situations. The films draw heavily on the comedy-of-errors tradition in Hindi cinema and feature an ensemble structure in which several established actors share screen time.
The first film, directed by Anees Bazmee, starred Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Mallika Sherawat and Feroz Khan, with Feroz Khan's appearance among his last screen roles. The plot centres on Rajiv (Akshay Kumar), whose uncle (Paresh Rawal) is desperate to keep him away from any connection to the underworld, even as Rajiv falls in love with Sanjana (Katrina Kaif), the sister of gangster Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar) and his associate Sagar Pandey (Anil Kapoor). The film became a major commercial success and established the franchise's tone, characters and signature style.
Welcome Back, also directed by Anees Bazmee, was released in 2015 as a direct sequel. Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar reprised their roles as Sagar Pandey and Uday Shetty, while Paresh Rawal returned as Dr. Ghungroo. The cast was joined by John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia, with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif not returning. The story continues the gangsters' attempt to lead respectable lives, this time complicated by the search for a suitable groom for Ghungroo's stepdaughter.
A third instalment, announced under the title Welcome to the Jungle, was developed by Firoz A. Nadiadwala with Anees Bazmee returning as director. The project has been promoted as a large ensemble comedy bringing together actors from across the franchise's history along with several new additions.
The first Welcome was one of the higher-grossing Hindi films of 2007 and is frequently cited among the more popular ensemble comedies of its decade. Several of its dialogues and characters, particularly Uday Shetty and Dr. Ghungroo, became part of popular culture and are often referenced in Hindi film comedy. While critical reception across the series has been mixed, the franchise has retained a strong audience following, contributing to its continued expansion.