Lush green fields, creamy milkshakes with a cherry on top, old-school music, retro hairdo and ‘60s fashion - Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies was a love letter to the GenZ crowd to take them back to a timeline of nostalgia and innocence. Her innate craft of making you dive deep into a world of sheer imagination continues to get movie buffs to rock and roll with it. While the obvious conversations surrounding the cinematography, a stellar cast of debutants and storytelling refuse to quieten down, here’s looking at this piece of childhood from the perspective of the characters that we revisited, thanks to Zoya! The flirtatious Archie Andrews (Agastya Nanda), sassy Veronica Lodge (Suhana Khan), adorable Betty Cooper (Khushi Kapoor), foodie Jughead Jones (Mihir Ahuja), charming Reggie Mantle ( Vedang Raina), quirky Ethel Muggs (Aditi Dot) and the brainy Dilton Doiley (Yuvraj Menda) - it’s a burst of thoughtfully crafted characters and what makes them perfect was probably the right melange of flaws and uniqueness that each of their onscreen roles allowed them to bring to life.
Here’s a look at how each of their authentic nature made us connect with our inner selves:
The apple of everyone’s eye and the ladies sure can’t seem to have enough of him. His reputation precedes him but somehow the girls don't seem to find a way to say no to him. He does have a kind heart, but like every young lad, confusion reigns for him as he’s unable to make a stable decision between two girls he seems to have fallen in love with at the same time. When you’re young and wild, the phases that all we youngsters seem to go through. Can’t make up our minds yet seek true love. Interestingly Archies gets “popped” as he mentions towards the end when both Veronica and Betty reject him. Only Zoya could make the girls win this battle, but a muddled heart and the most popular boy of the school dealing with it seems to be an episode right out of our high school playbook.
See Also: Agastya Nanda joins grandfather Amitabh Bachchan as he greets fans outside Jalsa
Sassy, gorgeous and the most attractive part? Her confidence that she wears on her sleeves. Veronica is the typical modern-day girl who appears to be selfish just because she isn’t scared of speaking her mind. Hailing from an aristocratic family and having been brought up in the lap of luxury, her everyday issues involve choosing between two dresses for a party or roller skating her way out of anything that does not deserve her attention instantly gives off the vibe of a spoilt girl. She is a good friend but seems to be swarming to put her intention in place as the exterior of her lavish life gets people judging her. Classic rich girl problems and a hard relate for every chic who’s been called the most popular girl in college. Beneath all of it, is a girl who’s only looking for love as did Veronica!
See Also: Shah Rukh Khan sports a The Archies tee to support Suhana Khan at the film's premiere. See here:
Cute as a button and everyone’s favourite! The kind of friend in the gang who gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling every time she’s around you. Despite being madly in love with Archies who she knows would never be loyal to him. She doesn’t find it in her heart to be angry because love reigns supreme. She reminds all of us young girls of that teenage phase when we had a crush on that one guy who was the worst choice. She reminds us of how at that time, it seemed like the biggest problem of our lives where we thought our hearts could never be put together again. Her innocence takes centre stage as does her helplessness and we are instantly reminded of our young love at a time when we believed all the hopelessness it brought with it.
The foodie of the group, we always have that one friend in our gang who can be lured to do anything just by the mention of food. Jughead Jones is truly the best friend that Archies could have ever had. The perfect secret keeper of all of Archie’s romantic shenanigans, dedicated to helping him at all cost, the best advice-giver and you just can’t go wrong with food when Jughead is there. Throughout the film his character makes us recall that one friend who always made the best decisions about food, that best friend who always knew how to handle anything that went wrong only to safeguard our closest ones and it indeed puts a smile on our faces.
An absolute charmer, Reggie is handsome, steadfast in his approach and the kind of flirt who’s hard to ignore. He flirts with Veronica unabashedly right from the beginning after she returns to Riverdale. He’s seen galavanting around with girls and has a steamy scene in the car right from the first shot. With a little bit of fire and a lot of vigour, he realizes his duties as soon as it comes to saving something very dear to them. He’s a son of a journalist but aspires to be a comedian. He has a rocky relationship with his father because of that very reason as he does not consider comedy to be a serious profession. It reminds us instantly of the time when we had those arguments with our parents when our career choice had gone south. A middle ground is always reached but it’s all the drama in between that makes that phase a challenging one in all our lives.
With magic in her eyes and a skip in her walk, Ethel Muggs is the quirkiest in the cool group. She wins us over with her unputdownable passion for the ambition she has. There’s a line in the film where she stoically says, “I am not going to be apologetic for my ambitions.” And right there, you see your young adult self, at the cusp of making serious life decisions and career choices, not willing to compromise or settle for less. Ethel Muggs also has a very strong sense of principles. She does not believe in agreeing to anything and everything just because her superiors scare her to bend down. Her voice matters and the fact that she stands up for herself is the most refreshing vibe of the film.
See Also: The Archies: Aditi Dot says she couldn't have asked for a better debut
The nerdy Dilton is adorable and reminds you of that one brainy friend you have in your group who leaves no stone unturned to show off the ocean of knowledge he or she has. Right from the first frame, Dilton is seen correcting people when they make a mistake - be it quotes by Shakespeare or the meaning of difficult words. He’s the grammar nazi of the group, ring a bell? We all have that friend. He also happens to have a secret radio set up at home and it plays a crucial role in the climax of the film. It also reminds us of all the other talents or hobbies we garner over time but alas, not all of them get fulfilled.
Every character in The Archies gang seems like a friend you have had in your real life or a person you’ve known. They’re imperfect but they’re tangible. They have the same fights and misunderstandings with their friends as we do. They have the same arguments with their parents as we do. They have the same passion for their ambitions as we do and they aim to fly higher, just like we do. They trade their shoes in for wheels under the feet and whisk you away to a world where a realm of togetherness is built, based on love, friendship and a childhood that we all miss.
Here’s a look at how each of their authentic nature made us connect with our inner selves:
Archies Andrews (Agastya Nanda)
The apple of everyone’s eye and the ladies sure can’t seem to have enough of him. His reputation precedes him but somehow the girls don't seem to find a way to say no to him. He does have a kind heart, but like every young lad, confusion reigns for him as he’s unable to make a stable decision between two girls he seems to have fallen in love with at the same time. When you’re young and wild, the phases that all we youngsters seem to go through. Can’t make up our minds yet seek true love. Interestingly Archies gets “popped” as he mentions towards the end when both Veronica and Betty reject him. Only Zoya could make the girls win this battle, but a muddled heart and the most popular boy of the school dealing with it seems to be an episode right out of our high school playbook.
See Also: Agastya Nanda joins grandfather Amitabh Bachchan as he greets fans outside Jalsa
Veronica Lodge (Suhana Khan)
Sassy, gorgeous and the most attractive part? Her confidence that she wears on her sleeves. Veronica is the typical modern-day girl who appears to be selfish just because she isn’t scared of speaking her mind. Hailing from an aristocratic family and having been brought up in the lap of luxury, her everyday issues involve choosing between two dresses for a party or roller skating her way out of anything that does not deserve her attention instantly gives off the vibe of a spoilt girl. She is a good friend but seems to be swarming to put her intention in place as the exterior of her lavish life gets people judging her. Classic rich girl problems and a hard relate for every chic who’s been called the most popular girl in college. Beneath all of it, is a girl who’s only looking for love as did Veronica!
See Also: Shah Rukh Khan sports a The Archies tee to support Suhana Khan at the film's premiere. See here:
Betty Cooper (Khushi Kapoor)
Cute as a button and everyone’s favourite! The kind of friend in the gang who gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling every time she’s around you. Despite being madly in love with Archies who she knows would never be loyal to him. She doesn’t find it in her heart to be angry because love reigns supreme. She reminds all of us young girls of that teenage phase when we had a crush on that one guy who was the worst choice. She reminds us of how at that time, it seemed like the biggest problem of our lives where we thought our hearts could never be put together again. Her innocence takes centre stage as does her helplessness and we are instantly reminded of our young love at a time when we believed all the hopelessness it brought with it.
Jughead Jones (Mihir Ahuja)
The foodie of the group, we always have that one friend in our gang who can be lured to do anything just by the mention of food. Jughead Jones is truly the best friend that Archies could have ever had. The perfect secret keeper of all of Archie’s romantic shenanigans, dedicated to helping him at all cost, the best advice-giver and you just can’t go wrong with food when Jughead is there. Throughout the film his character makes us recall that one friend who always made the best decisions about food, that best friend who always knew how to handle anything that went wrong only to safeguard our closest ones and it indeed puts a smile on our faces.
Reggie Mantle (Vedang Raina)
An absolute charmer, Reggie is handsome, steadfast in his approach and the kind of flirt who’s hard to ignore. He flirts with Veronica unabashedly right from the beginning after she returns to Riverdale. He’s seen galavanting around with girls and has a steamy scene in the car right from the first shot. With a little bit of fire and a lot of vigour, he realizes his duties as soon as it comes to saving something very dear to them. He’s a son of a journalist but aspires to be a comedian. He has a rocky relationship with his father because of that very reason as he does not consider comedy to be a serious profession. It reminds us instantly of the time when we had those arguments with our parents when our career choice had gone south. A middle ground is always reached but it’s all the drama in between that makes that phase a challenging one in all our lives.
Ethel Muggs (Aditi Dot)
With magic in her eyes and a skip in her walk, Ethel Muggs is the quirkiest in the cool group. She wins us over with her unputdownable passion for the ambition she has. There’s a line in the film where she stoically says, “I am not going to be apologetic for my ambitions.” And right there, you see your young adult self, at the cusp of making serious life decisions and career choices, not willing to compromise or settle for less. Ethel Muggs also has a very strong sense of principles. She does not believe in agreeing to anything and everything just because her superiors scare her to bend down. Her voice matters and the fact that she stands up for herself is the most refreshing vibe of the film.
See Also: The Archies: Aditi Dot says she couldn't have asked for a better debut
Dilton Doiley (Yuvraj Menda)
The nerdy Dilton is adorable and reminds you of that one brainy friend you have in your group who leaves no stone unturned to show off the ocean of knowledge he or she has. Right from the first frame, Dilton is seen correcting people when they make a mistake - be it quotes by Shakespeare or the meaning of difficult words. He’s the grammar nazi of the group, ring a bell? We all have that friend. He also happens to have a secret radio set up at home and it plays a crucial role in the climax of the film. It also reminds us of all the other talents or hobbies we garner over time but alas, not all of them get fulfilled.
Every character in The Archies gang seems like a friend you have had in your real life or a person you’ve known. They’re imperfect but they’re tangible. They have the same fights and misunderstandings with their friends as we do. They have the same arguments with their parents as we do. They have the same passion for their ambitions as we do and they aim to fly higher, just like we do. They trade their shoes in for wheels under the feet and whisk you away to a world where a realm of togetherness is built, based on love, friendship and a childhood that we all miss.
Loading Next Article...
SHOW COMMENTS