MUMBAI : Zoya Akhtar, on Thursday, launched the trailer of her upcoming Netflix film The Archies. The filmmaker and her frequent collaborator Reema Kagti recently opened up about how they narrowed down the cast of The Archies, starring a bunch of young actors, including Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda, Mihir Ahuja, Vedang Raina, among others.
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Reema shared that the casting process for The Archies was “quite rigorous” and all the actors were tested for all the characters because they weren’t told which character they’ll end up portraying in the film ultimately.
“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 in an interview with Puja Talwar.
Zoya Akhtar then shared how she met all the actors in different capacities and thought of them as the characters from the original comic when she first met them.
When asked who was the first person to be cast for the film, Zoya revealed that Khushi Kapoor was one of the first actors to be cast for the film. She plays the role of Betty Cooper in the Indian screen adaption of the young adult comic book.
Zoya 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.”
Talking about how she first came across Made In Heaven actor Mihir Ahuja, the director said, “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.”
Shah Rulkh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan will be making her film debut with The Archies. Zoya Akhtar shared that she was aware that Suhana was already training to be an actor, and that helped her become one of the cast members of The Archies.
Zoya shared, “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 Archies is scheduled to release on Netflix on December 7.
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Credits - The Indian Express
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