Last month, Zoya Akhtar completed the schedule of her forthcoming movie. The Archies is a much-awaited Netflix film that will make the acting debut of Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda, Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan, and the late Sridevi’s younger daughter Khushi Kapoor. In a recent interaction, The Archies’ casting directors talked about the casting process and said that each of the three-star kids auditioned for the role.
Nandini told The Quint, “Any industry you look at, the next generation takes over. If someone fits the role, they deserve the opportunity because they fit the role. It’s not like we’ve just gone and cast someone because they’re a star kid. Each one is very specifically, super-perfect for the role they’ve been cast in. It was a proper casting process. We tested many people for the roles. We didn’t just go over with these roles on a platter to the three star kids and say ‘Here they are!’ A lot of people tested for various roles and then this fell in place.”
Abhishek said, “Sometimes you might not know an actor or it’s possible that you cant trust whether he’ll do a good job on set, whether he’ll understand the set, how to be around ADs, how to be around the crew. Versus a guy or girl who comes from a filmy background and you automatically know that they’re well versed. Even that star kid, they will also learn through the process. Once they are on the set, they will have to learn.”
Netflix has partnered with Archie Comics for the movie, which will be set in 1960s India. The Archies is produced by Zoya and her longtime collaborator Reema Kagti under their production house Tiger Baby. Zoya announced the project on social media last year in November.