Zoya Akhtar Says 'Lot Of Indians Are Light-Skinned' After The Archies Gets Trolled

Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar has reacted to netizens trolling her upcoming directorial, The Archies, ever since the first glimpse was officially released by the makers. The teaser of the film was unveiled during the global fan event of streaming giant Netflix in Brazil last week.

Zoya, along with The Archies cast, had attended the event. However, when the first look of the film, starring Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda, Mihir Ahuja and others was revealed in May 2022, several social media users had trolled the makers and claimed that the characters did not look Indian.

Zoya Akhtar REACTS to criticism

For those unversed, the story of The Archies is set in a hill station of 1964 India.

Reacting to the trolls, Zoya told Midday, "Why do you think that? They're all Indian. Are you saying fair Indians are not Indians? How do we define what an Indian looks like? It could be Hrithik Roshan, it could be Mr. Rajinikanth, it could be Diljit Dosanjh, it could be Mary Kom. That's the beauty of India."

She added, "There are a lot of Indians who are light-skinned."

About The Archies

The upcoming Netflix film is billed as a coming-of-age story that will introduce the teenagers of Riverdale, the fictional hill station, to a new generation in India.

Set in the year 1964, The Archies follows the lives of Riverdale's favourite set of teenagers - Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Ethel and Dilton. Seen through the lens of the unique Anglo-Indian community, The Archies explores friendship, freedom, love, heartbreak and rebellion.

It marks the acting debut of superstar Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana and Sridevi and film producer Boney Kapoor's daughter Khushi. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan's grandson Agastya is also making foray into the film industry with the project.

The film is produced by Netflix India, Tiger Baby, Archie Comics and Graphic India. However, the makers of the film have not yet announced the release date of the film.