Writer-director Zoya Akhtar's oeuvre includes a tale about strugglers in Bollywood Luck By Chance); follows the journey of an aspiring rapper from the Mumbai slums (Gully Boy); a dysfunctional Punjabi family aboard a cruise ship (Dil Dhadakne Do) and three friends on a road trip in Spain Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara).
Her latest, The Archies, though is not just her first-period flick but also recreates the youngest, most idyllic world. Based on the popular American comic book series, The Archies, which drops on Netflix on December 7, is set in 1960s India where Riverdale is a hill station that's home to the Anglo-Indian community.
It celebrates the innocence of youth as well as its resilience and more significantly friendship. And it does so with songs, which build a mood and express a character's sentiment.
The Archies stands out in Akhtar's filmography also because unlike her other four features she was offered to direct this one, with both Graphic India and Netflix keen to have her on board. "It came out of the blue. I never thought I wanted to do it. I never thought I could do it," says Akhtar. The Archie, Betty and Veronica love triangle have been seen in various iterations in Hindi films like Bobby, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. What made it exciting for Akhtar was that the companies "wanted it to be the original characters". She joined hands with Reema Kagti, her writing partner for over a decade now [has been a friend longer], and coowner of their production house, Tiger Baby, as well as Ayesha DeVitre (Kapoor & Sons, Gehraiyaan) to develop it. Says Kagti, "I think when we got the film, what blew my mind was that this is the first Archies film and we are getting to do it out of India."
Playing Innocent
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