Netflix, Tiger Baby and Graphic India’s The Archies is a teen musical based on the Archie comic characters. Archie (Agastya Nanda), Betty (Khushi Kapoor), Veronica (Suhana Khan), Reggie (Vedang Raina), Dilton (Yuvraj Menda), Jughead (Mihir Ahuja) and Ethel (Dot.) are friends who live in Riverdale. The very popular Green Park in Riverdale is in danger of being demolished to make way for a posh hotel. Veronica’s affluent father, Mr. Lodge (Aly Khan) sees a huge business opportunity in constructing the hotel without caring for the feelings of the people of Riverdale. But the seven friends, including Mr. Lodge’s own daughter, Veronica, revolt and muster support from the people of Riverdale to stop the hotel from coming up in place of the loved Green Park even though the plan is passed by the Council. The story also tackles the issues of friendship and romance.
Ayesha Devitre Dhillon, Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar have written a story based on the comic characters and set in a fairy-tale world which only the class and city audience will be able to identify with. In other words, the story is restrictive in appeal. Frankly, the Indian audience is not used to seeing a film set in a fairy-tale world. The trio’s screenplay is quite interesting but again, it is meant for the class audience and those who have grown up on Archie comics. For those who haven’t been Archie comic fans, the drama might appear to be much ado about almost nothing. The romantic and friendship parts of the drama lack depth and emotions. They, therefore, appear more frivolous and less serious. Farhan Akhtar’s dialogues are witty but will go down well with the city-bred youngsters only.
Agastya Nanda has screen presence, looks handsome and acts well as Archie. Khushi Kapoor performs quite decently as Betty. Suhana Khan exhibits the right attitude for the character of Veronica. Mihir Ahuja is endearing as Jughead. Dot. plays Ethel with conviction. Vedang Raina is lovely as Reggie. Yuvraj Menda is cute in the role of Dilton. Aly Khan is splendid as Mr. Lodge. Vinay Pathak acts with conviction as Mr. Dawson. Kamal Sidhu (as Mrs. Lodge) makes her mark. Suhaas Ahuja is good in the role of Fred Andrews. Tara Sharma is natural as Mary Andrews. Koel Purie leaves a mark as Alice Cooper. Satyajit Sharma plays Hal Cooper in a realistic manner. Luke Kenny is effective as Ricky Mantle. Rudra Mahuvakar is endearing as Moose. Santana Roach is nice as Midge. Sheena Khalid acts ably as the new salon owner. James Alter, Puja Sarup, Ashish Sawhney, Sahil Jaffrey, Avan Contractor, Deirdree Wright and David Whitebread lend the required support as the Council members. Delnaaz Irani (as salon owner Pam), Diya Gupta (as Cheryl), Deven Khote (as Mr. Weatherbee), Salone Mehta (as Miss Grundy), Nikhil Kapoor (as Pops), Asif Ali Beg (as Smithers), Darshan Gokani (as Mr. Jones), Vikram Kapadia (as Johnny), Ashok Banthia (as Uncle Benny), Ankur Tewari (as Michael), Dimpy Fadhya (as Mrs. Mantle), Bambi Juneja (as Jughead’s mom), Janvi Menda (as Dilton’s mom, Mrs. Doiley), Neeraj Menda (as Mr. Doiley), and the rest lend able support.
Director Zoya Akhtar deserves credit for creating a different world altogether and shooting the film in a fairy-tale style. Her visual aesthetics are a treat for the eyes. But having said that, it must be added that the script and her narration are not very solid and they also have limited (class) appeal. Music (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Ankur Tewari, The Islanders, Dot.; licensed songs by Domingo Samudio, The Cavaliers, Ankur Tewari, The Islanders and Aksha Kini) is appealing but it must be added that the appeal lies more for the classes and not much for the masses. Besides, the songs have not gained much in popularity, which is a minus point for a film about friendship and romance. Lyrics (Javed Akhtar, Dot., Ankur Tewari, Zoya Akhtar) are in synch with the film’s mood. Choreography (by Augustus Pereira, Bosco Martis, Caesar Gonsalves, Ganesh Hegde, Gulnaaz Khan, Feroz Khan, Olivier Casamayou and Carine Charaire) are wonderful and the dances are a delight to watch. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Jim Satya’s background music is excellent. Nikos Andritsakis’ cinematography deserves distinction marks. Suzanne Caplan Merwanji and Roshan Vichare do extraordinary jobs as production designer and art director respectively. Nitin Baid’s editing is sharp.
On the whole, The Archies will be liked for its visual appeal more than for its content or emotional appeal. It is meant mainly for the city-bred youngsters. Frankly, those who have grown up reading Archie comics are not the target audience for this film as they may be in their 30s, 40s and 50s today, and those whom this film is meant for (teenagers) may never have read Archie comics.
Released on 7-12-’23 on Netflix.
