The Archies, Zoya Akhtar’s coming-of-age musical, just got a release date. Set for December 7 on Netflix, the film takes inspiration from globally-loved Archie Comics characters and puts an Anglo-Indian spin on them. As part of the reveal, the cast gathered on Mumbai’s Western Express Highway to pose next to a billboard featuring a timer counting down the days until the premiere. Shooting for The Archies wrapped up last December, with Akhtar co-writing alongside Ayesha Devitre (Gehraiyaan) and Reema Kagti (Made in Heaven).
Akhtar reimagines the fictional town of Riverdale through an Anglo-Indian lens, placing it on a hill station in the swinging 1960s as the film follows the lives of Archie and friends who navigate friendship, heartbreak, rebellion, school protests, dances and more. . A teaser from the Netflix Tudum event showed samples of rock and roll, which did not go down well with local audiences, who felt the adaptation was heavily influenced by Western media. Even the cast and costume design were initially criticized for not appearing accurate for India in 1964. The director addressed these sentiments by simply noting that “it’s fictional” and emphasizing that it’s aimed at the Anglo-Indian community. The Archies movie marks the fourth live-action universe project to be dropped from the comics, after The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Katy Keeneand the recently discontinued Riverdale.
In Netflix’s The Archies, Agastya Nanda plays the charming Archie Andrews, torn between his feelings for Betty and Veronica. It’s worth mentioning that due to the Anglo-Indian twist, some (or maybe all) of the characters may have different names compared to the original comic book series. Khushi Kapoor plays the kind-hearted Betty, while Suhana Khan plays the wealthy and pompous Veronica Lodge. The lineup is completed by Vedang Raina as the self-obsessed Reggie Mantle, Aditi ‘Dot’ Saigal as Riverdale’s up-and-coming hair stylist Ethel Muggs, and Mihir Ahuja as the hungry Jughead Jones. Oddly enough, his signature crown-shaped cap from the comics has been replaced with a flat cap, reminiscent of Peaky Blinders.
Akhtar along with Sharad Devarajan’s Graphics India is producing the film The Archies through her own Tiger Baby Films banner. Earlier this month, the filmmaker dropped the second season of Made in Heaven on Amazon Prime Video, with our favorite wedding planners, played by Sobhita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur, returning to orchestrate another slew of fat Indian weddings. The new chapter focuses largely on a female perspective, with the main points of conflict being abuse, distrust and divorce. All seven episodes of Made in Heaven Season 2 are now available to stream on the platform.
The Archies movie will be released on Netflix on December 7.
