There's a Different Approach: The Big Bull Director Kookie Gulati

After the trailer for 'The Big Bull' dropped, people made comparisons to Hansal Mehta's 'Scam 1992'

Abhishek Bachchan in the poster for 'The Big Bull'; director Kookie Gulati

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram/ IMDb)

After the trailer for Abhishek Bachchan's upcoming film The Big Bull dropped, people drew comparisons to Hansal Mehta and Jai Mehta's Scam 1992. Both projects star their lead actors as stockbroker Harshad Mehta infamous for his role in the 1992 Indian securities scam. Addressing the situation, director Hansal Mehta urged people to not make 'unfair comparisons'. "Please don’t make unfair comparisons. There can be multiple tales on the same story. Every story-teller will have his own way and should be seen independent of the other," he tweeted.

Touched by the gesture, The Big Bull director Kookie Gulati said in an interview to PTI that he appreciated Hansal's gesture, "Everyone is entitled to their view and I would respect that. It was extremely gracious of Hansal to say that. It reflects the positivity that is there now in the industry, where someone like him -- his body of work and mine can't be compared -- says 'give them a chance.'"

Abhishek Bachchan in 'The Big Bull' (left) and Pratik Gandhi in 'Scam 1992'

He added that he hopes that people give his film a chance and watch his film to realize that its completely different from Hansal's web series. He did, however, say that people are welcome to make comparisons. Kookie reiterated that while he enjoyed the show (Scam 1992), his movie has a different approach, "...once you see the film you'll understand how there's a completely different approach."

Kookie presented the script to Ajay Devgn on the sets of Total Dhamaal and he joined the project as a producer. Devgn suggested Abhishek Bachchan for the role of Harshad. Speaking about the experience of shooting with Abhishek, Kookie said, "There is a depth in his acting so when his name came up I jumped at it. Working with him, I realized he is not only a smart actor but also an aware person." Kookie also added that Abhishek brought 'tremendous sensibility' to the character.

The Big Bull also starring Nikita Dutta, Ileana D'Cruz, Sohum Shah, Ram Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla, is scheduled for a direct-to-OTT release on Disney+ Hotstar on 8 April 2021.