Zoya Akhtar reveals casting process of The Archies: “Suhana Khan was training to be an actor; Khushi Kapoor was cast first as Betty and Agastya Nanda was cast last as Archie”
Netflix India on Thursday launched the much-anticipated trailer of The Archies, a Zoya Akhtar spectacle produced by Tiger Baby, Graphic India, and Archie Comics, that transports the audience to the whimsical world of 1960s Riverdale, India. The trailer unfolds a musical narrative led by seven charming characters from the beloved Archie comics, steering through the retro alleys of love, friendship, and youthful aspirations. The film introduces several new faces including Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, Yuvraj Menda, Mihir Ahuja, Dot and Vedang Raina.
Talking about casting for the film with Puja Talwar, Reema Kagta said that it was quite a rigorous process. “The credit goes to our casting directors Nandini Shrikent and Karan Mally. They held extensive tests and several rounds of tests before they came to Zoya. We didn’t go with any pre-decided notions that this actor has to be that character. The kids were not given any point of reference and they were tested for all the parts. It is only after four-five rounds when they finally came to Zoya and even after that Zoya sat with them. It was quite a rigorous round of testing and auditioning and I think we have arrived with the best people to play the parts,” Reema Kagti shared.
Zoya Akhtar revealed that she met all the actors in different capacities. She shared, “I think the person who was cast first was Betty and cast last was Archie. I think each one has surprised us in some way or the other. Ethel is a musician. Dot is a musician, and I met her to do the music. I follow her on YouTube, that’s how I know her. I met her because I wanted some of her music for the film. While I was having a conversation with her, I was like, ‘Oh my god, she’s Ethel (Muggs).’ I tested her, and she was great. She was in Wales, and I was in Bombay, so we did the test on Zoom.”
She added, “And there was Mihir who had been cast in Made In Heaven by another director, and I directed him in a dramatic scene. It was a scene where he had to start crying, and I just kept looking at his face and saying he can be Jughead. But I didn’t know if he can do comedy and if he is comedic.”
Zoya shared that Suhana Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter, was already training to be an actor. She said, “Suhana was already acting. She was in a school in New York. She was training to be an actor, so we knew she wanted to act. Vedang was a model and musician. He did four or five auditions before it came to me. So, they came from all over the place.”
The story of The Archies is releasing on Netflix on December 7, 2023. ALSO READ: The Archies: Shah Rukh Khan praises trailer of Suhana Khan starrer: “Zoya has created such an innocent and pristine quality to the film”
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