The Big Bull trailer recreates Mumbai, nay Bombay, of the 80s and 90s, as it tells us the story of stockbroker Harshad Mehta, recast here as Hemant Shah (played by Abhishek Bachchan) — his dramatic rise and rise before the inevitable fall. Coming a  few months after Hansal Mehta covered the same subject in his critically-acclaimed show, 1992 Scam The Harshad Mehta Story, the trailer drew immediate comparisons between the two.

The Big Bull trailer takes us on the same journey, inspired by the life of Harshad Mehta, starting from his humble beginnings, his designs on Dalal Street, his relentless hustle of which insider trading and outright corruption were an intrinsic part, his superstardom in a slowly liberalising India and his sad end. However, unlike Scam 1992, the film is ‘inspired’ by his life and hides reality behind a veneer of ‘Bollywood creativity’.

There are a few things that are new, cars racing down Mumbai’s streets, men being made to take off their clothes to check who is ‘the informant’, songs and what feels like patently Hindi cinema dialogues.

With Abhishek as the ‘Big Bull’, Ileana D’Cruz plays the journalist out to unmask Abhishek Bachchan’s character and his behind-the-scenes shenanigans. The film also stars Nikita Dutta and Sohum Shah. In an earlier teaser, the film’s producer Ajay Devgn’s voiceover could be heard as he speaks about people born in humble homes being taught to keep their dreams in check. “But one man decided to change the game and remake the world,” he said about the protagonist.

Amid comparisons, both director Hansal Mehta and Pratik Gandhi, who played the lead in the SonyLiv show, sent their best wishes to The Big Bull team. “Congratulations @juniorbachchan and the whole team of #TheBigBull. The trailer looks promising. Looking forward to watch the film,” Pratik wrote. Addressing the comparisons, Hansal wrote, “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. This film has so many talents involved just like my show. They’ve done their best and they deserve your love.” He added in another tweet, “And very intriguing trailer with such phenomenal actors. You are in great form @juniorbachchan . More power to the entire team of #TheBigBull on @DisneyPlusHS.”

Congratulations @juniorbachchan and the whole team of #TheBigBull .
The trailer looks promising. Looking forward to watch the film. https://t.co/u2d4LbFHKM

— Pratik Gandhi (@pratikg80) March 19, 2021

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. This film has so many talents involved just like my show. They’ve done their best and they deserve your love. https://t.co/vHp8CSlmCU

— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) March 19, 2021

Let’s spread some love and give people a fair chance! I, for one, am curious to see The Big Bull by @juniorbachchan @Ileana_Official @ajaydevgn @KumarMangat @s0humshah @nikifyinglife @Meena_Iyer @kookievgulati All the best team!

— Shreya Dhanwanthary (@shreya_dhan13) March 19, 2021

On the work front, Abhishek was last seen in Ludo and Amazon Prime Video’s Breathe 2. The Big Bull will stream on Disney+ Hotstar on 8th April 2021.