The Archies Review: Suhana Khan, Mihir Ahuja, Vedang Raina, Yuvraj Menda Shine In Zoya Akhtar’s Dull Musical!
To watch or not? Read on to find out
2.5 / 5
After premiering at the 54th International Film Festival of India 2023 in November, The Archies released on the OTT platform Netflix on December 7. Starring Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi Saigal aka Dot and Yuvraj Menda, this film is a coming-of-age musical comedy-drama directed by Zoya Akhtar. Produced by Zoya along with Reema Kagti under the banner of Tiger Baby Film in collaboration with Sharad Devarajan under the banner of Graphic India, this film is an adaption of Archie Comics. This film makes for a light watch but it lacks depth. Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, Mihir Ahuja, and Vedang Raina show potential but the writing could’ve been better.
The Plot Of The Archies
Set in the small hilltown of Riverdale in the 1960s, The Archies follows a group of teens Archie Andrews (Agastya Nanda), Betty Cooper (Khushi Kapoor), Veronica Lodge aka Ronnie (Suhana Khan), Jughead Jones (Mihir Ahuja), Reggie Mantle (Vedang Raina), Ethel Muggs (Aditi Saigal aka Dot), Dilton Doiley (Yuvraj Menda) and Moose Mason (Rudra Mahuvarkar). This gang of teenagers hangs together and deals with their own share of teenage drama but when developers threaten to turn the heart and soul of Riverdale, Green Park, into a hotel, the teens band together to save their town from capitalism. But can these kids really save their park? Can they bring the change that the adults failed to bring? Watch the movie to find out.
Performances
Suhana Khan as Veronica Lodge/Ronnie: Suhana Khan’s pampered Ronnie is one to look out for. The actress effortlessly does justice to her character. Suhana nails everything there is about Veronica from her infectious smile to her style. Her dialogue delivery with the perfect blend of sass and elegance just stands out. For a debut, the actress has done well and has given us hope with her potential.
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Khushi Kapoor as Betty Cooper: Khushi Kapoor looks convincing as Betty Cooper. The actress looks adorable Betty with big bright eyes and girlish charm but there’s more to portraying a character than just looking like her. While I did see the efforts being made by Khushi, she faltered one too many times.
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Also Read: The Archies Celeb Review: Karisma Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, And More Praise Khushi Kapoor, Suhana Khan’s Film
Agastya Nanda as Archie Andrews: Agastya brought Archie’s boyish charm to life with his portrayal of the comic book character. He brings forth Archie’s confusion and connection with both Betty and Ronnie which makes you want to give him a hug while simultaneously shaking some sense into him. However, Agastya did seem uncomfortable in his character every now and then.
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Mihir Ahuja as Jughead Jones: I have to say that, I’m in love with Mihir Ahuja’s Jughead Jones. The actor is absolutely perfect as he slips into his role and nails the fear of Archie getting caught two-timing besties, Betty and Veronica. His love for food like the comic book character shows and by the end of the film, the actor will leave you hungry for more of Jughead Jones!
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Vedang Raina as Reggie Mantle: Vedang’s Reggie steals the show and how. The actor demands attention every time he’s on the screen, bringing to life the bad boy from the comic book. It’s easy to fall in love with Vedang’s Reggie considering his good looks and even better acting skills.
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Aditi Saigal aka Dot as Ethel Muggs: Dot shines as Ethel Muggs. She looks natural as the girl next door that is Ethel. She plays the role with conviction and does justice to her character. I totally wouldn’t mind an Ethel spin-off led by Dot!
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Yuvraj Menda as Dilton Doiley: Boy, how I love Yuvraj Menda’s Dilton. The actor has nailed the role from dialogue delivery to nerdy Dilton’s innocence and let’s not forget his really special “thankkk youuuu”. The actor totally stole my heart with his work.
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Supporting Cast
Vinay Pathak was great in his role as H Dawson, Tara Sharma looked just as intriguing and Satyajit Sharma played Hal Cooper with honesty. Kamala Sidhu and Alyy Khan have my attention. Delnaaz Irani as Pam was refreshing. Suhaan Ahuja, Koel Purie, Luke Kenny, Satana Roach, Nikhil Kapoor and the rest of the supporting cast gave their 100% to their character. Rudra Mahuvarkar’s Moose Mason was adorable. But let’s be honest, that huge supporting cast couldn’t get enough screen time or space because the film was after all about the teens.
Verdict: Zoya Akhtar’s Muscial Is A Bowl Of Fries With No Salt!
Let’s star by talking about the big Bollywood debut of the star kids. Suhana Khan might have faltered but it was refreshing to see her play Veronica. Sure, she faltered here and there and could’ve been better but she does have potential and so does Agastya Nanda. The actor sure does impress but there is scope for improvement. Khushi Kapoor’s acting was not top notch but practice makes a woman perfect too. All the hate the stars are getting on the internet for failing to deliver seems to root from the fact that they’re star kids and could’ve done better. I won’t disagree there but there is potential here. Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Yuvraj Menda and Dot seem to have won hearts with their acting but it’s essential to understand that the pressure on them was much lesser.
Also Read: 5 Things Reddit Dislikes About Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies Ft. Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda
The Music Of The Archies
For a musical, Zoya Akhtar’s film did not have much to offer. Apart from ‘Sunoh’, ‘Va Va Voom’ and ‘Dhishoom Dhishoom’, none of the other songs are memorable. And what’s a musical without memorable music? But in all honesty, I’d say beware of the abovementioned songs because they can be earworms. The Archies has 16 songs composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Ankur Tewari, The Islanders and Aditi Saigal aka Dot. The lyrics of these songs have been written by Javed Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Shibani Akhtar, Ankur Tewari and Dot.
What Works For The Archies?
The costumes, cinematography and small-town charm of Riverdale definitely works for The Archies. The film is a trip down memory lane and makes one want to be transported to this magical town. The 60s charm definitely works in favour of the film. It’s a refreshing film that one can watch to unplug but it’s essential to understand that this film isn’t for adults but rather for teens. The music, Pop Tate’s, the burgers and milkshakes along with take you into the world of Archies Comics. The film also explores female friendships, teenagers and their dreams, passions and so much more.
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What Doesn’t Work For The Archies?
While The Archies has a lot going for it, Zoya Akhtar’s film falls flat due to the lack of depth. The film tries to explore too many things but fails to do justice to it all. The weak plot doesn’t help the cause. The film feel like an extension of the trailer with nothing much to offer. Zoya Akhtar’s film barely scratches the surface of the plot revolving around the group of teen trying to save their beloved Green Park. Of course, it ends in the most cliché way of them managing to save it but even the great performances couldn’t save this film with weak writing and screenplay.
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Also Read: The Archies Twitter Review: Fans Are Disappointed With Zoya Akhtar’s Film But Love Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda
So, is it worth watching? Well, to each their own. For me, it was difficult to develop interest and watch the film for the first half because of how painfully slow and meaningless it seemed but the second half piqued my interest enough to make me stop doomscrolling and put my phone down to watch the film. The characters portrayed by the actors will stay with you and so with their sass! So, I’d say watch the film but at your own risk. Baad mein mujhe mat bolna.
FYI, The Archies is currently streaming on Netflix.
First Published: December 08, 2023 4:56 PMWhat To Watch This Week Of December 4 To 10: The Archies, Kadak Singh, Joram, And More
