India, July 3 -- Welcome to the Jungle may have brought together one of the biggest ensemble casts in Bollywood, but it has also sparked a debate over how much space its female actors were given in the film. Many viewers questioned why Disha Patani and Jacqueline Fernandez had limited dialogues and screen time. Now, filmmaker Ahmed Khan has responded to the criticism, saying the casting and character arcs were designed to fit the film's comedy-driven format.

Addressing the criticism to Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview, Ahmed Khan said the film was always built around some of Bollywood's biggest comedy stars, making it difficult to give everyone equal space. "When you have such solid actors like Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Rajpal...