Zoya Akhtar on directing the first The Archies movie: I felt a lot more pressure

At a recent Netflix event, where they had shared their upcoming line-up with the media, Zoya Akhtar talked about 'working harder' to make the first ever Archies movie a memorable one. Read on...

Team Archies with makers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti

There are very few filmmakers who make the small and mundane moments of life memorable. Zoya Akhtar is definitely one of them. And so, when she annouced that she was adapting the beloved comic book series The Archies into a movie for Netflix India, fans got really excited.

Although it has been made into an American animated sitcom in the past, this is actually the first time that the comic book series is being adapted for screen in a feature film format. The pressure, of course, is sky high.

"... Subsequently, that's when I realised and felt a lot more pressure, because it's a first one, and it has got a massive fan-following (the comic), and also because the first feature (film) is coming out of India and I am making it. It's a little bit of pressure and so, fingers crossed. Working harder," Zoya Akhtar said during the event.

The ace director went on to explain that when she was asked to make a movie on The Archies she wanted to give it an Indian spin, while "retaining the essence of the story", and show why it had struck such a chord with the people of the country.

The movie is an Indian adaptation of the Archie comics, a popular comic book franchise featuring its lead character Archie Andrews. The film follows the comic characters coming to life and taking out all their adventures with a musical sphere bursting with youth, rebellion, friendships and first loves. The film stars Khushi Kapoor, Mihir Ahuja, Agastya Nanda, Vedang Raina, Yuvraj Menda and Suhana Khan as the beloved characters of Archie comics. Directed and written by Zoya Akhtar, the well-known filmmaker known for movies like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Gully Boy (2019) and Luck By Chance (2009).

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