Zoya Akhtar: ‘The Archies’ Actors Re-Lived My Debut

Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar spoke about working with the young performers in the movie, saying she sort of relived her debut via them. She is getting ready for the premiere of the coming-of-age movie “The Archies.”

Reema Kagti and Zoya attended the “The Archies” album launch party. Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, Suhana Khan, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi Saigal, and Yuvraj Menda are among the actors and directors in Zoya’s film. It was written by Reema Kagti.

Zoya, who has collaborated with some of the best performers in the business, including Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, and Hrithik Roshan. Her children were facing the camera for the first time in this film. Was it simple or difficult?

Zoya said, “I suppose the difference was that the preparation period was longer. They so spent more time preparing, practicing, and training. The second observation was that they were not like those actors.

In actuality, it was the delight and the zeal. Through these, I was able to relive my debut somewhat virtually. She said, “And I don’t think I’ve had as much fun and easy time as I had with them.”

After “Gully Boy,” you could have made any movie with any actor, but instead you chose to start a film school where you taught these young people everything there is to know about the movie industry and this wonderful world. How did you find that?

“You go in a project for a story, not an actor,” said the director of “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.” The performers you want for that production are those that fit that plot the best.

“‘Archies’ had to be teens, brand-new, and the best of the bunch when they came to me since they were 17 in the movie. For eight months, we held open auditions. She said, “But these seven killed it.”

Reema commented on the main difficulty in adapting “The Archies” for Indian viewers, saying, “First of all, ‘Archies’ were really not of the 60s.” It began then and has persisted through the years. We decided to go back in time to the 1960s since our goal was to recreate the spirit of the original “Archies.”

It’s ageless and revolves on friends, family, and community. Everything is what matters. Zoya and I wanted to make a connection to our youth, when we were poor and lacked the modern conveniences that children do. You had the impression that “less was more” at that time. We didn’t have television, I believe, or this digital onslaught. We used to watch TV for around two hours every day. We wanted to return to that era, which led us to choose the 1960s,” she said.

If there were any disputes over what should be kept and what shouldn’t?

Reema said, “Always. And one benefit of writing collaboratively, in my opinion, is that. You have two heads as a result. They ought to think differently from one another. Working with two similar heads is pointless.

“The Archies,” a moving coming-of-age story set against the picturesque background of the 1960s, immerses viewers in the life of a cherished group of teens. Archie Comics, Graphic India, Tiger Baby, and Netflix India worked together to produce the movie.

The much awaited movie, which is helmed by Zoya, will debut on Netflix on December 7.