Bollywood has never been a poster child for meritocracy. And its latest offering, The Archies, directed by Zoya Akhtar and set to release on Netflix on 7 December, is a case in point. The much-anticipated desi take on the adventures of Archie, Veronica and the rest of their friends from the popular comic book series will be the launch vehicle for three star kids. Agastya Nanda, Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson, plays Archie Andrews; Suhana Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter, is Veronica Lodge, and Khushi Kapoor, Sridevi’s youngest daughter, is Betty Cooper.
While it’s crystal clear that the film is Nepo Grand Central, Zoya —and even her famous father—say otherwise.
“Netflix and Tiger Baby [the production house Zoya helms with Reema Kagti] put seven kids on that poster, and the media only spoke about three, and then turns around and tells us about nepotism. Actually, you’re the one not giving the other four attention,” she said.
At no point did Zoya acknowledge that this was inevitable due to her casting choice. She has chosen three star kids to play the titular characters. So, who exactly is being unfair?
Even Javed Akhtar defended his daughter at an Aaj Tak event. “She has all the right to take anybody under the sun; she shouldn’t be questioned. She is taking the risk; it is her project, and she is backing it,” said the lyricist.
But is it really a risk when the film is helmed by a production company of Tiger Baby’s stature, directed by a filmmaker whose work has been commercially successful for the most part, and is being released on Netflix with no pressure from the box office? Hardly.
The other four
Mihir Ahuja, who plays Jughead Jones, has Amazon Prime Video’s Made in Heaven season 2 (2023) and Lionsgate Play’s Feels Like Home (2022) to his credit. It is, however, important to note that Made in Heaven has also been created by Zoya and Reema, who are known to retain actors across projects. Cue Vijay Verma, who just won the Filmfare award for best actor, series (male) in the critics’ category for Dahaad (2023), another acclaimed creation by the director-duo, and had appeared in Gully Boy in 2018.
Vedang Raina, who plays Reggie Mantle, may not have direct links to a star family or prior productions, but it is a case of fame by association – possibly due to dating rumours with Khushi Kapoor. The two have also been featured together in the Myntra FWd ad campaign.
Aditi Saigal, known by her stage name Dot, is a singer and songwriter who is set to play Ethel Muggs. She is the daughter of theatre actor Shena Gamat and rock musician Amit Saigal. Amit was the founder of India’s first rock magazine, Rock Street Journal, and was popularly known as ‘Papa Rock’.
Yuvraj Mende, who plays Dilton Doiley, is a social media influencer.
So, technically, everyone in the series has had some form of access and privilege, even though the degrees definitely vary. And this privilege seems to have determined the roles these young actors have bagged in the drama/musical.
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When will Bollywood accept its bias?
Of course, it is neither the first nor last time that the nepotism debate will crop up. Influential ‘star maker’ directors will continue to launch star kids. Karan Johar, who launches and ‘nurtures’ them through his films and even his show Koffee With Karan, is, of course, the top name in this game.
From Student of the Year (2012), which launched Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, and Siddharth Malhotra, to its second instalment in 2019 that ‘relaunched’ Tiger Shroff and introduced Ananya Pandey and Tara Sutaria to Bollywood, Johar has shown unrelenting support to celebrity offspring.
It’s talent and not blue blood that should determine success—but that’s not how it’s done in the Hindi entertainment industry. Popular ‘outsiders’ like Kriti Sanon and Taapsee Pannu have often pointed out this disparity.
Siddhant Chaturvedi’s viral response to Ananya Pandey’s nepo baby rant in 2020 sums up this argument: “The difference is, jahaan humare sapne poore hote hain, wahin inka struggle shuru hota hai (their struggle begins where our dreams are fulfilled).”
Zoya should either own her inclination toward nepo kids or keep mum. The defence is paper thin.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)