A lot of high hopes rode on this Big Bull that released on Disney+ Hotstar on 8th April 2021, especially after the runaway success of the SonyLIV’s Scam 1992. While the Pratik Gandhi-led Scam 1992 is a web series based on real-life events that were fictionalized to go with the much-needed Indian craving for masala, The Big Bull is “based on real events” with all the character names being changed.
Trying to capitalize on a weak plot based on the actual 1992 scam, it would seem at times that the reality was better scripted than the movie. Thanks to the nontheatrical release, Kookie Gulati got the entire 150 minutes of runtime on Disney+Hotstar. It would have been a positive point if the entire thing was not so over-dramatized. And honestly, we have seen better acting by members of the cast before on various occasions, so that hurts too.
While the base message beyond the movie that “Every person can dream and work to achieve the dreams” is really sweet, nothing much about the movie is so.
Big Bull Runs for Too Long
While the runtime could have capitalized on teaching people a bit on the technicalities of the stock market and how they were capitalized on, the film took a sharp focus only on the results of the actions for dramatization purposes, leaving the audience guessing about “Why” or “How” this could happen. The loopholes in the system were certainly numerous back in the early days of the Indian Economic Liberalization but The Big Bull tells too little about it.
Instead, The Big Bull focuses on the narrative that tries to portray that India was completely on the verge of bankruptcy sounds a little cuckoo. To top it off, they mention that India did nothing of value in the first 2 decades of independence. Selling national integrity just for the purpose of dramatization is bad, but even more so when that dramatization isn’t even necessary.
I am not going to go into the story at all as it might spoil whatever experience you might get on seeing the movie, but if you are looking to watch the movie because you want your inner self to get more aware of the stock market, then don’t. If you are expecting a tense entertainment session of 2.5 hours, don’t. If you are expecting to sleep for two and half hours comfortably in the theater, you really can since it’s a Hotstar exclusive release. Good luck trying to find a good reason to watch this unless you are a die-hard fan of any of the cast of the movie.
Giving credits where due, despite a low-key weak performance by Abhishek Bacchan, there are times you can draw parallels to his performance in Guru where he plays Gurukanth Desai who is based on Dhirubhai Ambani. A lot of character depth could have been built for many of the characters due to the diversity of their roles.
All in all, even though built on a good story, The Big Bull disappointed as much as the stock market in 2020.
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