The Archies
Introduction
It is a Thursday but the new releases have started trickling in! With that, I finished watching the new Hindi film The Archies which is now streaming on Netflix. One look at the premise and I was happy that a mainstream Hindi film is revolving around the environment, an aspect of life that we have ignored from so many years. The Aarey Forest was in the news recently with so many trees scheduled to be axed just to make a metro shade by the authorities. Elsewhere, a reservoir repair work endangered so many trees at The Hanging Gardens until better sense prevailed. The trees are the much needed lungs of the city of Mumbai(and everywhere in the world) and I am unsure sure on how many natural disaster it would take for the authorities to understand that nature cannot be taken for granted, not even in exchange for sacks of money.
It was long back when I had planted a little lemon seed simply because I was taught in school on how plants help humanity in general. And to my delight, the little seed did bloom into a nice little lemon plant. But as the plant began to grow, there was a discussion on replanting it somewhere else in the society wherein I reside. The track record of plants and trees surviving a new immediate environment was a dicey, and that is when I had to put my foot down by simplying protesting against it. As things stand today, my little buddy has turned 30 this year and has also provided a little lemon this year, something that I am proud of. Just a little emotional tale while I get back to my review.
Netflix had heavily promoted The Archies, more than any other Indian content this year. There were billboards almost providing a countdown to the show that had the people warmed up. In between, the first look of The Archies did draw some flak with the now ‘troll’ debate of nepotism being introduced by a handful of obsessive people(I was quite looking forward to watching all 7 protagonists perform). But in Zoya Akhtar, I did have faith that even on a bad day, the film wouldn’t drastically be bad. Finally, I got a chance to watch The Archies, does it manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
An official Hindi adaptation of the popular comic, The Archies follows the story Archie and his gang as they navigate through their school life filled with friendship and romance while dealing with the politics of Riverdale involving the developers trying to destroy their beloved park. Now I haven’t read the comics per say but I have kept myself acquainted with the character traits of the protagonists. In that regard, the story is a decent High School musical that touches upon a very pertinent issue. Just that the writing doesn’t quite allow the issue to take center-stage while the focus continues to remain on the character dynamics and the slightly frivolous romance(s) along the way. The screenplay standing at 140 odd minutes is simplistic and a little too frivolous with the writers being carried away with the style while stuttering a bit with the substance in hand!
Now there was a lot of talk doing the rounds on how would the writers adapt a very popular comic in the Indian setting. The good news being that the setup is done quite nicely with the drama giving a brief background about the Anglo-Indian community that is essentially the core persona of the drama. You are introduced to the various characters that form a part of the town called Riverdale with the focus being on the school. Very early on, the writers sow the seeds of the conflict involving the park before moving onto the character dynamics of the protagonists, with the central conflict being used as an undercurrent. Now, I didn’t mind that but the focus on the character dynamics was rather bland with not enough high moments sprinkled along the way.
The proceedings are decent and watchable but I wished to be witness to the politics of the land much more, which was buried under the glitter of the land. That for me was the central conflict around which the story should have been developed. Yes, it is perfectly fine to showcase the romances along the way along with bouts of friendship, but there needed to be a definite plan in moving past it after a certain point in the screenplay. Instead, the writing did go on in circles up until the halfway mark. What I did like though was the musical template being used to convey the emotions, political or otherwise, and the budding romance. Had the situations been grafted a little better, this approach would have further hit all the right notes!
Things improve in the second hour particularly with the focus briefly shifting towards the central plot which was of saving the park. But the politics of the land did seem a little too simplistic for my liking wherein the reality was that the writers could have gone deeper with the issue and its repercussions with respect to the people of the land. A little more insight into the Anglo-Indian culture with respect to the conflict would have added depth to the proceedings. Having said that, there are a few moments created that touch upon the idea of loneliness and being heart-broken in a relationship that deftly manages to touch your heart. The events leading up to the final act are rousing but again, I did feel that the writers missed a trick at the end to showcase the change of heart from both parties involved, either by introducing a scene or creating a heartfelt moment. The voiceover just seemed to be a little abrupt and kind of left me underwhelmed. Overall, the screenplay is decent but it most definitely needed some sharper writing to keep the drama afloat.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are well written with a mix and match of English and Hindi, and some gems waiting to be discovered along the way. The music is phenomenal here and used almost like a breath of fresh air at regular moments in the screenplay. The idea of a musical was great and had the writing been a little more sharper, the music would have enhanced the drama to the next level. The BGM is frothy and playful, and goes perfectly with the vibe of the drama. The cinematography coupled with the colour grading paints a nice little frame which is aesthetically beautiful. The editing is excellent as well with some lovely match cuts introduced along the way. The costume deoartment deserves an applause for highlighting the character traits of the characters through their wardrobe. Director Zoya Akhtar has to be one of my favourites doing the rounds at the moment. And she doesn’t do a bad job here either. But Zoya the director was briefly letdown by Zoya the writer(along with Reema Kagti) wherein the screenplay did not comprise of enough moments, heartwarming, dramatic or otherwise. As a result, the director could only do so much but even this space, I did see a glimpse of Wes Anderson waiting to peep out and therein lay the genius of Zoya. But overall, this was a minor blemish if I could call it one!
Performances
The performances are pretty good here by a bunch of semi-known and fresh faces. Jamie Alter, Suhaas Ahuja, Koel Purie, Tara Sharma and Vinay Pathak, all manage to leave a mark. Luke Kenny and Satyajit Sharma have their moments to shine, as does Alyy Khan whose diction I am an admirer of. Yuvraj Menda as Dilton is pleasant to watch onscreen and he does a good job. Dot. as Ethel is quite decent in a job well done. Mihir Ahuja as Jugheads is wonderful to watch and some of his one-liners are incredibly nailed by him. I was thoroughly impressed with Vedang Raina who essays the role of Reggie. He was confident and assertive while having a good presence onscreen.
That brings me to the performances of actors who have been trolled by folks without even watching their performance. I am amazed at how ignorant and rude people can be towards kids who are just about taking their first steps in an industry which also can be unforgiving to them post their first outing. And I wouldn’t go harsh on them in their first film at all! Khushi Kapoor as Betty is quite good and the area where she can work towards is her dialogue delivery which will enhance her onscreen persona. Also polishing a little bit on the dancing front won’t hurt either. Agastya Nanda as Archie is decent but he could work even more on his emotions and expressing. Having said that he dances like a dream! But it is Suhana Khan as Veronica who shows spark and is a cut above the rest for me. I was so happy to see that she came with no baggage of being King Khan’s daughter in a role wherein she did make a mark for herself. This is particularly impressive given that she made her debut in the same year wherein her father has raked in the maximum moolah along with praises. The pressure may have been huge but Suhana passes with flying colours. She needs to keep working hard and if that is the case then you will hear a lot of her in times to come.
Conclusion
The Archies is a glittery high school musical with safe stakes that focuses on style over substance, thus resulting in a frivolously watchable drama which may even leave the fans of the comic divided. Perhaps, the weakest Zoya Akhtar film in her brilliant filmography! Available on Netflix.
