Been busier in the last six months than 10 years: Abhishek Bachchan

After Pratik Gandhi in Scam 1992, Abhishek Bachchan has reanimated the infamous Indian stock broker, Harshad Mehta, in The Big Bull. The film, which released on Disney+ Hotstar this week, was initially meant to be enjoyed by audiences in theatres. However, the pandemic caused the film to be released digitally. Speaking to The Indian Express, Bachchan called this change of platforms one of the biggest hurdles for the film.

"As an actor, the fact that I am still getting to do what I love doing — making movies in such difficult times, when most people are losing jobs, I am thankful. In the last six to eight months, I’ve been busier than I’ve probably been in the last 10 years. I think streaming platforms have opened up yet another avenue for storytellers to do their work. It has opened up the floodgates for such wonderful talent to come into the system," he said.

Labelling himself as ‘OTT ka Bachchan’, the actor explained how director Kookie Gulati had to alter his style of storytelling to make the film digital-platform friendly. This was a difficult task, since the movie was originally made for the big screen. The actor clarified further that viewers watch films on different platforms with different mindsets. This resulted in three varied approaches of making the film.

Believing digital platforms to be the future of films, he differentiated between the three platforms by asserting that tackling films, TV shows and content for digital platforms are entirely unique ball games. It is to be noted that before The Big Bull, Bachchan made his digital debut with the Amazon Prime Video original web series Breathe: Into The Shadows.

Citing the example of the arrival of satellite television, the actor justified that the three distinct platforms will continue to attract audiences, irrespective of new available modes of accessing movies and shows. When satellite televisions were introduced to India in the early 90s, it was believed that people would not flock to theatres to watch movies. However, that did not hold true. A similar argument has begun with the emergence of OTT platforms, but Bachchan is of the belief that people will continue to consume content on all three platforms.

Playing the role of Mehta, a stockbroker whose story is one that takes him from rags to riches, Bachchan revealed that playing the character realistically was his endeavour throughout. "The intention is not to glorify or demonise Mehta, but humanise him," the actor clarified.

Emphasizing on the importance of artistic integrity, Bachchan attested to how the character is not devoid of moral flaws. Portraying Mehta in the most truthful way, Bachchan will leave the audience to make up their mind about Mehta. Refusing to make the character one dimensional, the actor preaches that the audiences of today look forward to seeing flawed characters who fall into grey moral areas. Exploring how the traditionally moral and righteous hero is sinking in importance, Bachchan explained that a flawed character is not only more exciting for the audience, but also for the actor.

Bachchan’s career, spanning across two decades, has made some memorable additions to Bollywood. Talking about The Big Bull, the actor described the film as one that traces the path of Mehta from a chawl dweller to India’s first billionaire. Stating that it’s human tendency to lean towards megalomania after having achieved so much in such a short time, The Big Bull will depict Mehta in a humane way which is devoid of gloss.