Director: Kookie Gulati
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Ileana and Ram Kapoor
Rating: 2.5/5
Platform: Hotstar
The Abhishek Bachchan-starrer The Big Bull is a mildly engaging crime drama that works in parts but fails to reach its potential. The film is ‘inspired by’ the life of the controversial stockbroker Harshad Mehta and revolves around the meteoric of a man from a humble background. The plot focuses on the resourcefulness of the street-smart protagonist in the initial portions, which sets the mood for what is to follow. The later portions of the film try to justify the hero’s questionable actions and may remind the viewer of the 2016 release Azhar, a film based on the life of former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin.
The promising premise is, unable to make the desired impact due to the middling screenplay. The film lacks a strong emotional foundation as most of the characters have not been fleshed out too well, which makes it difficult for the audience to relate to the reel action. The impact is diluted even further by the excessive use of stock market-related jargon as they are not everyone’s cup of tea. The makers try to simplify some of the technical terms but the problem still remains. The romantic scenes between AB Jr and his reel wife Nikita Dutta fall flat as there is no chemistry between the two.
The Big Bull, however, is not a lost cause by any stretch of the imagination as Abhishek’s stellar performance makes up for some of the shortcomings. The Dostana star gets into the skin of his character and hits it out of the park with his short yet intense dialogues. His swag and grand screen presence in certain scenes may remind fans of his work in Guru, which is widely regarded as the finest movie of his career.
Nikita tries to add some life to a one-dimensional character but this counts for little in the larger scheme of things. Ileana is sincere in a role that is different from anything she has done in the past. Her scenes with ‘Abhi’ are fairly intense.
The supporting cast, which includes the likes of Saurabh Shukla and Ram Kapoor, does not make an impact.
The songs are underwhelming and break the flow of the film. Editing is decent as The Big Bull does not really drag. The other technical aspects have been executed with competence.
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