The Big Bull released on Disney+Hotstar on April 8.Abhishek Bachchan starrer The Big Bull releases on Disney+ Hotstar VIP on Thursday. The Kookie Gulati directorial is based on the Harshad Mehta securities scam of 1992, which was the biggest financial fraud to take place in the country until then.
The Big Bull also stars Nikita Dutta, Ileana D’Cruz, Ram Kapoor, Sohum Shah, Mahesh Manjrekar and Saurabh Shukla among others. The film was intended for a theatrical release but was shifted to the OTT platform due to the ongoing pandemic. Talking about releasing the film on a streaming service, Bachchan told indianexpress.com, “From digital to television to screen, there is going to have to be a variety on how you tell your stories. And there lays the biggest hurdle for Kookie (director Kookie Gulati) as he made this movie for the 70 mm screen and now because of the situation we were in and due to the pandemic, he had to now adapt his storytelling style to make it conducive to a digital streaming platform.”
Abhishek spoke about playing a morally dubious man in the film and said, “When I was discussing the film with Kookie, I had said that if you’re going to whitewash somebody then I am not up for it, because that makes a character very unidimensional, and that’s not what I am interested in doing. Today’s audience’s taste has also changed and evolved, from my understanding, they want to see the protagonist be more human, they want to see his flaws, they want to see grey characters.”
The film will start streaming on Disney+ Hotstar at 7:30 pm on Thursday. Abhishek will be hosting the watch party of the premiere on the Twitter handle of the streaming service where the audience can send in their questions as they watch the film.
"The big bull.. amazing performance by @juniorbachchan .. if you want to see what happened in 1993, do watch.." @ShilpySharma14
said via Twitter.
"Abhishek Bachchan is giving too innocent expressions for a role he’s playing. Nothing excited in the movie, especially when you’ve watched something like #Scam1992. Seems like less or no homework by the team before casting. #TheBigBull" Twitter user @Nishant_Bliss wrote.
Twitter user @RANJITK08070102 shared on Twitter, "@juniorbachchan great performance #TheBigBull - Its expected that people will draw comparisons with the series but you have made it a worthy watch! Best wishes.. एकबार तो देखना बनता है.।।@ajaydevgn"
.
"@juniorbachchan is back again to impress us as a scamster.. Halfway through the movie and enjoying it already. Thursday evening made #TheBigBull!" @Being_PreeTy said via Twitter.
Abhishek Bachchan starrer The Big Bull is facing comparisons with SonyLIV web series Scam 1992. After watching The Big Bull, Twitter user @gurjinder_gs wrote, "No offence, but #TheBigBull is like a pirated version of #Scam1992 My Opinion: Pratik Gandhi was on point as Harshad Mehta. (May be coz they have a series while AB had to deliver everything in 2.5 hrs) #TheBigBull is a Scam."
Film trade analyst Sumit Kadel found The Big Bull a 'mediocre' film. He tweeted, "#TheBigBull MEDIOCRE ! Excellent act by
@juniorbachchan & unpredictable climax are the saving grace of this shoddily written film which is highly inspired from #Guru, screenplay is also majorly dragged. Comparison with #Scam1992 bound to happen when you watch it."
"All the Best Abhishek 👍 THE BIG BULL !" veteran actor Dharmendra wrote on Twitter.
Abhishek Bachchan put in a lot of effort to achieve the look of his character Hemant Shah. He shared how he achieved the look, "It all came out of a lot of discussion between myself and Kookie. We had a great production designer, costume designer and DOP who helped up achieve the look. But we also had to be true to the time in which the film is based, which is the late 80s and early 90s, so we were very sure that we wanted to, maybe with success and age, show a little bit of ageing. Since he was somebody who has led a highly stressed life, we wanted to show him ageing prematurely, We always showed him on a bit of a heavier side. There was a particular body language we all worked on. A lot of hard work went into achieving the look because both Kookie and I believed in looking the character."
Responding to a fan who asked what was the toughest scene for him, Abhishek shared, "There's this one scene with his (Hemant's) wife Priya, which is played by Nikita, where Hemant is going to be arrested and he has a confessional moment with his wife. She is like his emotional anchor, she gives him the confidence that what he is doing is right. It was a vulnerable scene because it was the first time that you will see him a bit shaken."
In her review of The Big Bull, film critic Shubhra Gupta wrote, "In comparison to Scam 1992, The Big Bull comes across badly with authenticity being a major issue in Abhishek Bachchan-Kookie Gulati film that is out on Disney+ Hotstar."
Abhishek Bachchan got to drink his favourite cold drink Gold Spot during the shoot of The Big Bull. Sharing his experience of recreating the era of the late 80s and early 90s, the actor said, "Recreating that era was not only a challenge but was also a lot of fun for anyone who has lived through those times. I was a young teenager during those times but I still have vivid memories of the late 80s and early 90s, from the fashion, music, pop culture and movies. The huge nostalgic factor for me was the fact that Kookie managed to get us some Gold Spot cold drink which used to be my favourite cold drink when I was a kid, sadly not made anymore. But the fact that I got to drink it was a huge thing for me."
Replying to a fan who asked junior Bachchan about his 'Bada Socho' though, he said, "One Bada Socho tip that I followed all my life is believe in your dreams and goals and do whatever it takes to achieve it and never accept a roadblock as failure, keep going and keep trying and you will achieve what you have to achieve."
On being asked how similar he is to his character of Hemant Shah, Abhishek Bachchan replied, "Being an actor we obviously bring some physicality which is our own to a film, but characteristic wise I don't think I have any similarities with Hemant Shah. That was the challenge for me and also a fun element of being an actor, that you get to create an entire character from the scratch. I tried not to bring Abhishek Bachchan in Hemant Shah. I hope I have managed to create an entirely new character."
Sharing his experience of working on The Big Bull during the waych party of the movie on Twitter, Abhishek Bachchan said, "The experience of making The Big Bull was truly very special. It's a film I am very proud of. It was a happy experience, every day on the set was a great experience and I will credit my director Kookie for that. I am so happy for him because this film was his long and old dream. It's been 5-7 years, germinating the thought and now seeing it on the screen, so, it's an emotional moment for him. Working with Ajay is always special. There was a lot of responsibility on my shoulders while making this film as he is like an elder in my family and it was my responsibility to not let him down and betray the faith he has bestowed upon us. I couldn't have asked for a better producer. He believed in us and I hope we can pay him back."
Abhishek Bachchan announced on Twitter, "#TheBigBullWatchParty begins! Shoot, #AskTheBigBull @DisneyplusHSVIP"
Actor Sohum Shah shared his excitement on the release day of The Big Bull. He wrote on Twitter, "I can’t believe it’s release day already! I remember being just this excited on my first day on set… Working alongside @juniorbachchan & @kookievgulati has been such an amazing experience, I’ve learnt so much by watching them in action and I am extremely thankful for everything!"
Actor Abhishek Bachchan and director Kookie Gulati talk about the making of The Big Bull. The two discuss how they created a character that is based on a controversial stockbroker, Harshad Mehta.
Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker is ready with popcorn to watch The Big Bull. He tweeted, "Abhishaaayk… I’m STOCKED with Samosas & Caramel Popcorn for viewing #TheBigBull 7:30pm!! Excitedly looking forward!! @DisneyplusHSVIP @juniorbachchan @kookievgulati
#MotherOfAllScams."
Actor Abhishek Bachchan, in an interview with Bollywood Bubble, shared what his family thought about the film The Big Bull. Talking about mom Jaya Bachchan, the actor said, "She (Jaya) doesn't see my films before release. She's superstitious. My family has seen the film. Ajay (Devgn, producer) showed them the film. But my mom hasn't seen it, because she's superstitious. It's releasing a day before her birthday, so she said as a birthday present she'll see the film. So, she's going to see it then, and I'm sure she'll tell me exactly what she feels."
Ileana D'Cruz shared about her role in The Big Bull on social media. The actor posted, "The very moment I read the script, I connected with the character. She’s feisty, shrewd, and gutsy! She looks into every detail, finds hidden insights, and unveils the #MotherOfAllScams secrecy! #TheBigBull releasing on 8th April only on @disneyplushotstarvip."