The Archies

Zoya Akhtar's direction is uncomplicated. She deserves kudos as she has created a fictional world like never before and done justice to it. In no time, one gets sucked into Riverdale and even understand the landmark spots of the town. It’s fascinating to see the lives of teenagers in such a manner as it rarely happens in a Hindi film. A few of their dilemmas are well depicted. Two scenes that stand out are the date of Archie and Betty and Betty and Veronica confessing the truth and the scene thereafter. The political angle is well infused and parallels can also be drawn to the present-day happenings. The ending is predictable though the makers have tried to add a little nail-biting twist.

The dialogue is occasionally – and surprisingly – banal. The characters range from comic book extremes, like Hiram Lodge and Mrs Lodge, to underplayed and customary, like Archie and his gang. Greenness is obvious among the debutantes, in particular Khushi Kapoor, who is a bit stiff in her dance moves and speech. Suhana Khan, who gets to skate, sulk, preen and be playful, fits as the pampered Ronnie. Agastya Nanda is likeable though a touch diffident in his timbre. Unlike some of his peers, he appears to have made an effort to play a singer. Vedang Raina brings the right amount of swag to the rakish Reggie. Among the tunes, only Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s Va Va Voom, with its retro vibe and energetic dance performance, and Sunoh pop out. Using songs to sometimes show a character’s thoughts is an excess. The biggest strength – and the real stars – are the production design, costumes, cinematography, art direction, choreography and locations. Under Akhtar’s direction, the elements integrate to build an immersive and idyllic backdrop. Nostalgia might not hit home, but there is enough novelty here to hold interest.