With Welcome to the Jungle gaining strong momentum at the box office through positive word of mouth after a slow start, director Ahmed Khan believes audiences today are often too quick to judge a film. Speaking to India Today, he said that instant reactions on social media can shape public perception even before viewers have watched the entire film.
Discussing the pressure filmmakers face in the era of instant feedback, Khan said many people form opinions within the first half hour of a movie.
"Many times, people don't even wait for a two-and-a-half-hour film to end. Within 30 or 45 minutes, they say, 'This film is terrible.' Then, after finishing it, they realise it's actually fantastic. But by then, they've already shared that opinion with 50 people. Later, they may correct themselves with only a couple of them, but what about the others? It's like a cricket match—you can't decide the result in the first few overs. You have to wait until the end because anything can happen," he said.
Khan acknowledged that while social media can sometimes work against a film, it can also help create momentum. He stressed that audience recommendations continue to be the most influential factor in determining a film's success.
"This has worked in our favour at times, and sometimes against us as well. People watch a film and say, 'It's so much fun, we're enjoying it.' Sometimes the wrong message spreads, and sometimes the right one does. But genuine word of mouth has always mattered, and it still does," he said.
Drawing a comparison with everyday decision-making, Khan explained why he considers word of mouth the strongest form of publicity.
"Even today, if you're planning a holiday, you'll ask someone who's already travelled whether you should visit Dubai, Vietnam or Bangkok. If I tell you Dubai is great but expensive and hot, or recommend Vietnam instead, that's word of mouth. The same happens when you're searching for a doctor—you ask people for recommendations. Word of mouth is the most powerful thing, and it's helping this film tremendously. The box-office numbers speak for themselves," he said.
Speaking about Welcome to the Jungle, Khan said he initially follows advance bookings and box-office collections after a film's release, but his real confidence comes from witnessing audience reactions inside theatres.
"The first thing you look at is advance bookings and the box-office figures. We had a slow start, but then the numbers suddenly picked up. That's when you know people are interested in watching the film. When I watched a show myself and saw how audiences reacted, I became convinced the film couldn't go wrong. They embraced it, connected with it and understood exactly what we wanted to convey. From that moment, I knew there was no looking back," he said.
Khan said the response over the past few days has been overwhelming, with appreciation coming not only from audiences but also from several prominent figures in the film industry.
"It's taken me three days just to absorb everything. The collections keep rising, and I'm constantly receiving calls from actors and filmmakers saying, 'What a film you've made,'" he said.
He added that praise from veteran filmmakers has been especially meaningful.
"What touches me the most is when seniors like Subhash Ghai and Rakesh Roshan call and say, 'Ahmed, you've made this film unapologetically. Great work. Kudos.' Rajkumar Santoshi, Anil Sharma—when filmmakers of that stature appreciate your work, you feel you've done justice to the film. Of course, many actors have also called. Almost everyone has," he said.
The director also revealed that several actors watched the film in theatres and contacted him immediately afterwards.
"I know many of them watched it in cinemas. Some even called me directly from the theatre and said, 'Sir, what have you made? We're exhausted'—from laughing," he recalled.
For Khan, however, the greatest appreciation comes from families continuing to discuss the film after returning home.
"The best compliment is when people tell me, 'My mother couldn't stop laughing. My father couldn't stop laughing. My sister absolutely loved it.' That makes me genuinely happy because when families go home and continue talking about the film, that's the biggest reward," he said.
Welcome to the Jungle, released on June 26, features an ensemble cast led by Akshay Kumar, alongside Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Paresh Rawal and several other actors.
