ALL EYES ON KHUSHI KAPOOR

She might just be getting started with her career, but Khushi Kapoor is in it for the long haul

- PRATIKSHA ACHARYA

Sitting down to interview Khushi Kapoor on the day of her big release, the expression writ all over her face is that of relief. Having dedicated the better part of the past year to promoting The Archies alongside her co-stars, Kapoor is finally at ease. Their first ever outing on celluloid (except Mihir Ahuja) has been unavoidable – the gang promoted the film left, right, and centre, from the biggest billboards in the country, multiple brand collaborations and events, to performances at global streaming events.

“I feel like I can let out a long breath. I think there’s been a lot of anticipation surrounding the film, and we’ve been working on this project for so long. I am excited and hopeful and just happy that everyone can watch what we have been working on for so long,” Kapoor admits.

For most millennials and certain precocious Gen Zs, the Archies comics were the teen fodder that we all grew up on and thoroughly relished. To see it come to life on the big screen has been nostalgic, to say the least. Playing Betty Cooper came to Kapoor naturally: “I think there’s a lot in Betty that I relate to. I think the more I was reading the script and working on each scene, the easier it got for me because I just felt like the things that Betty would do are things that Khushi would do,” she shares.

At the cover shoot with the debutante, you finally understand what she means when she says that she’s just like Betty. She’s agreeable, and quick to break into a giggle, even as she navigates her way around bushes to get the perfect shot. While she was still getting into her groove then, the Khushi Kapoor that we spoke to post-release is freer and more confident. Much like her mother, the legendary late Sridevi, there’s an aura of guilelessness around her that draws you in.