The musical adaptation of the beloved Archie comics shepherded by director Zoya Akhtar will seem like a soothing palette cleanser if you have been scarred by the likes of Ranbir Kapoor’s hyper-toxic and violent film ‘Animal.’ The female friendship code showcased in a sacrosanct manner in this benign film – a cluster-casting of star kids like iconic actor Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana and the late legend Sridevi’s daughter Khushi Kapoor -- is also a welcome change. Director Zoya Akhtar does a neat job of transplanting the Riverdale gang to a colorful Indian milieu. The jump from the page to the screen may seem staged and a tad sterile in the beginning, but you warm up to the Riverdale gang and their almost utopian world quickly.
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Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/the-archies-first-day-first-review-from-uae-shah-rukh-khans-daughter-suhana-khan-shines-in-this-middling-musical-1.1701938828318
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
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#UAEnews #movie #TheArchies
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00:00The whole idea of this movie is that you have to go, not expecting too much.
00:05It's just one of those feel-good, benign movies.
00:08Does it hurt you? No, it doesn't.
00:10But when it comes to performances, I think it is Suhana Khan who was really a revelation in this, along with Vedang Raina.
00:19Good afternoon, this is Manjusha Radhakrishnan from Gulf News.
00:22I'm the entertainment editor and I'm here with the review of The Archies, directed by Zoya Akhtar.
00:29It's a launch vehicle for several star kids, including Shah Rukh Khan's daughter, Suhana Khan.
00:33There's also Amitabh Bachchan's grandson, Agastya Nanda.
00:37And of course, Jhanvi Kapoor's sister and Boney Kapoor and Sridevi's daughter, Khushi Kapoor.
00:43So this is like a cluster launch vehicle for several star kids and several other newcomers.
00:48There are at least seven newcomers in this movie.
00:51It is director Zoya Akhtar's Indian adaptation of the beloved American comics called The Archies.
00:57If you're in the mood for a very soothing palate cleanser after watching a movie called Animals,
01:02starring Ranbir Kapoor, which was so bloody and violent, then this is the right movie for you.
01:08I mean, it is one of the most benign and feel-good musicals starring 17-year-olds, you know,
01:15having problems that are not about world peace, perhaps, or about the war,
01:18but about saving trees in an idyllic town in Ooty.
01:23Unlike The Archies comics, where Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge and Archie Andrews live in Riverdale,
01:30which is in New York, Zoya Akhtar transplants it into an Indian milieu.
01:35So we have Ooty being transformed into this very fictional paradise of a place, a small town,
01:40where people know each other, they have hamburgers, they know what's happening in each other's lives.
01:46It's not like this buzzling metropolis. It's a very sleepy, quaint town.
01:50Zoya Akhtar does a great job of imagining this fictional place in India and perhaps suiting it to Indian context.
01:57Now, when it comes to performances, I thought Suhana Khan, who is Shah Rukh Khan's daughter,
02:02is bestowed the screen presence and that magnetic personality that her famous dad has.
02:07She's shown as Veronica Lodge. Now, Veronica, one of her traits in the comics, as you may know,
02:13is that she's snooty, she's wealthy, privileged, she's got a lot of sass and flair.
02:18And I have to say that Suhana Khan fits perfectly into this role.
02:23In fact, when I was watching the movie, I thought she shone very bright when compared to the other newcomers as well.
02:29Another person who really had my heart was the actor who played Reggie, who's equally self-assured.
02:35He's also wealthy in the movie. He's a bit of a cad, played by Vedang Raina.
02:41He does such a good job as well. Both Suhana and Vedang shine and they show us that,
02:47you know, they look like seasoned actors as opposed to being their first time attempt at perhaps acting in front of the camera.
02:54But when it comes to Khushi Kapoor, who plays Betty Cooper, and Agastya Nanda,
02:58Abhintha Bachchan's grandson, who plays Archie Andrews, they are supposed to be doing the heavy lifting.
03:04Somehow, I felt they looked a bit cultish and raw and perhaps awkward.
03:08They don't seem to be as seasoned or as confident as Suhana Khan or Vedang Raina,
03:15which is very disheartening because if these actors had collectively come together and done the heavy lifting,
03:21then this particular simple story about a very simple problem, you know,
03:26teenagers uniting to save trees and a park, when the corporate greed comes in,
03:30when Veronica Lodge's dad wants to build a posh complex around it instead of in place of the park,
03:38these teenagers unite to perhaps get signatures to stop that particular plan.
03:43One of the highlights was when both Betty and Veronica, when realizing that Archie is two-timing them,
03:49they unite and confront him. I thought there was such sister code between them that was really enjoyable.
03:55You don't often see such scenes in Bollywood movies.
03:59So the kind of strong sister code really did my heart in.
04:03And it's also one of the few movies where the kids are just kids.
04:06I mean, they don't pretend to be adults or don't pretend to know about the world.
04:10So it's very age-appropriate casting happening here.
04:13Even the narrative also fits in with all the 17-year-olds who look that age.
04:18We live in an industry where it's all about aging superstars who play very, very young men, even in their 50s.
04:24So this is a welcome change to see age-appropriate casting being exercised and also seeing sister code being celebrated with such great fervor.
04:34You can almost tell that this is a film told by a woman through her lens.
04:39In terms of looking staged, I have to say that this movie takes a lot of time to warm up to.
04:45It looks almost like watching a theatrical play, honestly.
04:50So that is a bit of a downside to this film.
04:53Unlike Zoya Akhtar's previous movies like Zindagi Na Milegi Dubara or Dil Dadakne Do, which are so seamless.
05:00I mean, we were immediately transported into that world that she wanted to create.
05:05We do not have that seamless connect to this film.
05:08Many a times, you feel like you're watching a theatrical production, which is a bit of a misfire.
05:15When it comes to performances, like I said, Suhana Khan really does very well.
05:19The whole idea of this movie is that you have to go not expecting too much.
05:24It's just one of those feel-good, benign movies.
05:28Does it hurt you? No, it doesn't.
05:29But when it comes to performances, I think it is Suhana Khan who was really a revelation in this, along with Vedant Raina.
05:36When it comes to conflict, I have to tell you, it's very simplistic.
05:39But so are the Archie's comics.
05:41I mean, you're supposed to just read it and perhaps then discard it and forget about it.
05:45The movie also expects you to do the same.
05:47Just get into their world for two and a half hours and perhaps just get transported into a very fictional world
05:53where problems are not very massive.
05:55The players are very young.
05:57They're very idealistic.
05:58So that's the whole thing.
05:59You have to invest in the dream to enjoy this film.
06:02But there are many parts which look very staged, unfortunately.
06:05I think Zoya could have done a lot better when it comes to making it just a lot more tighter.
06:10Even some of the songs, I thought, were a bit forced into the narrative.
06:13It's set in the 1960s post-British era where several British Indian families decided to stay back in India
06:21and they formed this Anglo-Indian community.
06:23So when it comes to the costumes, when it comes to the mannerisms, the dance, the dating culture,
06:28it kind of reflected the Archie's comics.
06:30But other than creating the world, I think when it comes to having a gripping storyline, somehow it failed.
06:36And that's one of the complaints that I have about this movie.
06:41I've gone with 2.5 out of 5.
06:43For a full review, you can always go to gulfnews.com.
06:46We have a review posted out there.
06:48And be sure to tell me how you feel about the movie.
06:51It's out on Netflix now.
06:58You