The latest adaptation of the property The Archies is an Indian musical comedy, featuring a group of teens in 1960s India rebelling against a developer that is threatening to demolish a beloved park in their hometown. However, many of you out there will be wondering about the project, and in particular, where have we seen these characters before? With the film attracting attention with its distinct look, 1960s setting and song and dance numbers, we thought you might like a little background on the inspiration behind Zoya Akhtar’s interpretation of The Archies.
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What is The Archies adapting?
The easy answer here is the film is an adaptation of the popular franchise Archie, which has been featured in comic books, newspaper strips, animated series, TV movies, and a CW series.
However, the property goes further back than you might imagine, with Archie first appearing in a comic book called Pep Comics in 1941. The comic, published by MLJ at the time, became a hit, launching Archie into his own book, and creating the Archie universe that fans across the world would grow to love.
It seems that much of the inspiration for this version of the property comes from the 1960s animated version of Archie, and in particular an animated promotional video that featured Archie, Jughead, and his friends, performing the hit song Sugar Sugar. The song was written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim and was originally recorded by a band of studio musicians linked to the 1968–69 US Saturday morning TV cartoon The Archie Show. In the autumn of 1969, the single topped Billboard’s Hot 100, and it seems that this version of the characters was hugely influential in the look and sound of this new movie.
Who is director Zoya Akhtar and what is she known for?
Zoya Akhtar was born on the 14th of October 1972 and is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. She completed a diploma in filmmaking from NYU and would become an independent writer and director.
RELATED: Where was The Archies filmed?
In October of 2015, she would form Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio. You would know her from her debut feature in 2009 Lucky by Chance, following it up in 2011 with the buddy road trip movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. In 2013 she directed a segment in the anthology film Bombay Talkies, and in 2015 she made the family drama Dil Dhahakne Do. Zoya contributed to two further anthology movies, Lust Stories and Ghost Stories, and in 2019 won awards for her work on the musical Gully Boy.
The talented writer and director works in TV too, on shows such as Made in Heaven and Dahaad.
Who is behind the The Archies’ film soundtrack?
The Archies soundtrack is made up of 16 songs composed by Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy, Ankur Tewari, The Islanders, and Aditi Saigal. The lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar, Zoya, Shibani Akhtar, Tewari, and Saigal. It was released by Sony Music India and you could purchase a copy of the soundtrack from November 25th, 2023.
One of the tracks called “Sunoh” was released on 19 October 2023 as a single, and used to promote the film. The song was performed at the Bollywood Hungama OTT Fest, and the cast of the movie was also in attendance.
The Archies Plot Summary
The Archies uses its musical dabbling as an anchor for this latest version of the property and changes the setting to India during the 1960s.
The plot follows a group of young musicians playing their favorite kind of music against the backdrop of the psychedelic 60s. Set in a small hill station called, you guessed it, Riverdale, the small town is home to those Anglo-Indians who did not leave for England after India got its independence.
In the heart of the town lies Green Park, which has a long tradition for the people that live there, as when the children in the town become five years old, they plant a tree in the park. It cements the park in the history of the town, but the whole area is in danger when a developer looks to destroy the park so he can rebuild on the land. The Archies decide to take a stand against the businessman.
RELATED: The Archies Ending Explained
