Abhishek Bachchan’s Intense Preparation As Harshad Mehta

Abhishek  Bachchan is currently facing the  biggest challenge of his career. He plays stockmarket influencer  Harshad Mehta  who  rocked the Indian economy in the 1990s and  was transformed from small town Gujarati stockbroker to an iconic  financial wizard.

Abhishek Bachchan is  fully into the role. His rigorous research has  taken him  back to what was known  in those days as  Harshad Mehta’s  golden era.

Says a source  close to Abhishek, “He has  never worked so hard on  any of his roles  before except  maybe when he played Dhirubhai Ambani in Mani Ratnam’s  Guru. Coincidentally in both the biopics that Abhishek has done so  far he has played celebrated Guajarti game changers,  Dhuribhai and now Harshad Mehta.”

As  part  of his preparation  for the Harshad  Mehta role, Abhishek Bachchan has been  practising the Gujarati accent. The  role also requires  him  to pile on the kilos, since Harshad Mehta was the podgy type.

The Big Bull is not the first  Hindi film to recreate Harshad Mehta’s  tumultuous  rise  to iconic heights. In  Baazaar  in  2018, Saif  played a Gujarati stockbroker .The  role was inspired  by Harshad Mehta.

Currently, Abhishek is shooting for Bob Biswas,directed by Sujoy Ghosh’s  daughter Diya, in Kolkata.

Abhishek Bachchan loves Kolkata. And  Kolkata loves him back. Back in the City  after a long  hiatus , Abhishek has been accorded a  princely welcome.

Shooting for  a new film Bob Biswas  on  the streets  and outdoor locations, Abhishek Bachchan is constantly  mobbed by huge crowds wherever he goes.

 Says Abhishek. “It is  very heartening  to return  to  Kolkata. The  last time I shot in this city was  for Mani Ratnam’s Yuva  in 2003.I’ve also shot for  Rituparno Ghosh’s  Antar Mahal  in  Kolkata. Then I did  another Bengali film  Partha Sengupta’s Desh  where I played my own mom’s  son. Each time I’ve been given a royal  welcome here. It feels like  coming home.  Bengalis  call me their Naati(grandson).”

Abhishek Bachchan’s mother Jaya Bachchan is  Bengali and Jaya’s  father Taroon Coomar Bhaduri  was an eminent  journalist in Kolkata.