It’s unlikely that anyone had an Archie Meets The Punisher crossover comic on their bingo card back in 1994. Nor did anyone expect Jughead Jones’s insatiable hunger to be rooted in his lycanthropic lineage, or for him to face off against Veronica Lodge, who is turned into a vampire by a centuries-old bloodsucker. And yet, at some point, all of these events did occur in the Archie comics, which have charmed teenagers since the first edition was published in 1941. When filmmaker Zoya Akhtar was charged with depicting the never-ageing Riverdale teens in their first-ever live-action movie, she decided to place them in a fictional utopia set in Ooty, where dancing, singing, biking and picnicking need no occasion, and the only looming dark cloud seems to be Archie’s doomed pursuit of both bookish Betty and vixenly Veronica. It’s really what us ’90s kids liked best about the original comics: they opened a portal to a place where nothing could go wrong even as real-world threats—the onset of global warming, recession, skinny jeans—closed in on us.
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As luck would have it—or should I say ‘luck by chance’—the film fell into Akhtar’s lap serendipitously. “I had a meeting with Sharad Devarajan, co-founder of Graphic India, who contacted me because he wanted me to adapt another comic,” says the director. “While we were speaking, I happened to tell him that I’m a huge fan of the Archie comics. He said, ‘Oh, it’s ours and we just leased it to Netflix.’ In my head, it was gone since it had been handed over to a streaming platform. The next thing you know, he spoke with Netflix and they contacted me to ask if I would like to make the film.”
Of course, once the movie was hers, the next order of business was finding a suitable cast. “For me, when I’m casting actors, the essence of the characters is very important,” Akhtar says. “And that’s what I look for in someone who comes to audition for a role. Is that essence there? You can manipulate everything else to some extent, but if that essence is not there you’re setting yourself up for failure. It took a lot of auditions to find the right cast. In fact, two of them even came from Instagram and YouTube.”
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Directing seven newcomers can’t have been an easy feat, even if some of them hail from illustrious Bollywood families. Akhtar reveals that the cast was put through an intense boot camp to prepare them for the film. “I wanted them to be comfortable from the get-go. There are 200 people on set, there’s a camera in your face and you have to go up and perform when the word ‘action’ is said. It’s daunting,” she says sympathetically. “I wanted them to be over all of that by the time they came to set, so it was very important for them to get along with one another. There was this big boot camp where they had dance classes, acting workshops and cinematography training. Acting is a technical job. They had to learn how to cycle and skate. They did very well, of course, but the beauty of it was that I got to vicariously relive my debut through them because everything was a new experience for them. Their constant wide-eyedness, which I’d kind of forgotten, filled me with so much joy.”
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While Akhtar and I chat, there’s a flurry of activity around us. The set is being assembled, cameras are being set up and the seven debutants are having their hair and makeup done simultaneously. And although Khushi Kapoor’s Betty bangs have grown out, the Archie-red has faded from Agastya Nanda’s hair and Yuvraj Menda’s eyes are no longer obscured by Dilton-sized spectacles, it’s evident that they’re very much still in character. “Can we call for some food for Mihir [Ahuja], please? He’s famished,” I hear someone call out. I stifle a giggle; it’s such typical Jughead behaviour. Suhana Khan’s attention is equally divided between her phone and making sure that her hair is blow-dried to perfection—something I could see Veronica doing had The Archies not been set in the ’60s. Vedang Raina needs to do little other than suck in his cheeks, smirk and allow a stray lock of hair to fall over his forehead to convince me that he is Reggie. The only outlier is the musician Dot., who gives off more of a zany Luna Lovegood vibe rather than the boy-crazy Ethel Muggs she plays.
It’s plain to see that the cast gets along swimmingly off-screen, perhaps bonded through the hope of the success that awaits them as they embark on their acting journeys together. “I hope it stays this way,” Akhtar says with a smile, looking at Khan and Kapoor hype up Menda as he poses for a shot. “I hope they champion each other throughout the course of their respective careers because they’ve been so good—they’ve been good for each other and they’ve been good with each other.”
Introducing Khushi Kapoor as Betty Cooper
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What would Betty do?
“Being the kind of person she is, Betty would just let the friend keep it and not ask for it back.”
What would Khushi do?
“I think Betty and I are pretty similar in this case so I wouldn’t ask for it. I’d probably go out and buy a new one, though.”
What would Betty do?
“Betty would bake an apology cake.”
What would Khushi do?
“I would send a really long apology text.”
What would Betty do?
“Betty is a good friend so she would find a way to talk to the person without revealing the source. She’s resourceful like that.”
What would Khushi do?
“Honestly, I would do the same thing. What can I say, I’m just like Betty!”
Introducing Dot. as Ethel Muggs
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What would Ethel do?
“She would call Jughead to come pick her up.”
What would Dot. do?
“Panic!”
What would Ethel do?
“Cycle around Riverdale with training wheels on her bike.”
What would Dot. do?
“I would eat as much cake batter as is humanly possible.”
What would Ethel do?
“It depends on the person. Some people don’t like to be bothered during private moments.”
What would Dot. do?
“Ethel and I are similar in this regard, so I would first gauge whether the person wanted to be comforted or left alone.”
Introducing Vedang Raina as Reggie Mantle
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What would Reggie do?
“Reggie would not care and just start texting another girl.”
What would Vedang do?
“I would stop texting her. Or I’d have a conversation about it.”
Who would Reggie be?
“Mr Darcy from Pride & Prejudice because although he is conceited, he is a good guy at heart.”
Who would Vedang be?
“Oh, this one is easy to answer. I would like to be Sherlock Holmes.”
What would Reggie do?
“Reggie would just say, ‘Back off, man’ or he would compete with his friend for the girl. He’d get a real kick out of it too.”
What would Vedang do?
“I’d explain the situation to him and say that I’m the wrong person to come to for advice because I too am in love with her.”
Introducing Suhana Khan as Veronica Lodge
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What would Veronica do?
“Veronica would have a backup option ready just in case and disappear for a quick outfit change in the middle of the party.”
What would Suhana do?
“I wouldn’t mind at all. I would get a picture with them if I knew them well. I think it would be so cute.”
What would Veronica do?
“Veronica’s already got a long list of boys chasing after her. She’s going to be texting other boys herself.”
What would Suhana do?
“I would dump him because I am the type of girl who strictly likes a one-woman man.”
What would Veronica do?
“Veronica would say that people talk about her only because nobody is listening when they talk about themselves.”
What would Suhana do?
“Well, I think I’m very different from the character I play. I would have a nice big cry about it.”
Introducing Mihir Ahuja as Jughead Jones
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What would Jughead do?
“For Jughead, food is quite simply his life so he would rush to the mountains to get over that traumatic experience. I’m pretty sure he would give up on life if he saw someone eating his food.”
What would Mihir do?
“I would order a bigger snack straight away, wait for them to finish eating the food they stole from me and then proceed to munch on my recently arrived snack in front of them, just to make them envious.”
What would Jughead do?
“I think that would just give Jughead more reason to sleep. But if he absolutely could not, he’d do the next best thing: eat.”
What would Mihir do?
“I’d love to shoot 24/7 because I’ve always wanted to be an actor and I love being on set.”
What would Jughead do?
“He would take it as a blessing because he’s so laid-back in life.”
What would Mihir do?
“I would compensate for it with hard work.”
Introducing Agastya Nanda as Archie Andrews
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What would Archie choose?
“Archie would take both. He wants to be a famous musician, so it would only make sense for him to chase both.”
What would Agastya choose?
“Who wouldn’t take both, to be honest? It’s tough to choose. Everyone would say both.”
What would Archie choose?
“I feel like he would clone himself so he could date two girls at the same time.”
What would Agastya choose?
“Mind reading. I’ve always been curious about what makes people tick.”
What would Archie do?
“Oh easy, he would call Jughead straightaway. This is not an Archie problem to deal with.”
What would Agastya do?
“I don’t even try to salvage it; I just brace for impact. The more you try to save yourself, the deeper you dig yourself into a hole.”
Introducing Yuvraj Menda as Dilton Doiley
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What would Dilton do?
“He would iron each page until there were no creases anymore.”
What would Yuvraj do?
“I’d be chill. I wouldn’t really care.”
What would Dilton do?
“Dilton is logical so he would already have a strategy in place to do better on the next exam.”
What would Yuvraj do?
“I would console myself into believing that the reason my friend performed better was that I spent too much time helping them.”
What would Dilton do?
“Dilton would panic, but then realise that everyone has insecurities and there is nothing to be embarrassed about.”
What would Yuvraj do?
“I would avoid that person as much as I could for as long as I could.”
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Photographer: Bowen Aricò
Styled by Head of Editorial Content: Megha Kapoor
Fashion Assistant: Manglien Gangte and Shrey Vaishnav
Art Director: Aishwaryashree
Makeup Artist: Avan Contractor
Hair Stylist: Natasha Nischol
Digital Editor: Sonakshi Sharma
Bookings Editor: Savio Gerhart
Entertainment Director: Megha Mehta
Entertainment Editor: Rebecca Gonsalves
Photographer Assistant: Anish Oommen
Junior Designer: Shagun Jangid
Production: P Productions
Location courtesy: St. Regis Mumbai, Zenith Party Suite
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