Here’s everything we deduced from the trailer of ‘The Archies’

With every passing day, the excitement to watch The Archies on Netflix increases as audiences eagerly await to see the events that unfold in Riverdale as Archie, Betty, Veronica, and the rest of the crew delight us through tales of their friendship, camaraderie, and joyous escapades. We’ve got much more than a taste today as the makers dropped the much-awaited trailer of the coming-of-age musical this morning. And clearly, we want more!

You already know the cast by now. But if you’re completely aloof to the fun-filled world of Riverdale, we’ll make things simple. The film marks the debut of Suhana Khan (King Khan's daughter), Agastya Nanda (Amitabh Bachchan's grandson), and Khushi Kapoor (daughter of legendary actor Sridevi). Along with this talented trio, the movie also stars Mihir Ahuja, Dot, Vedang Raina, and Yuvraj Menda.

What’s happening in the trailer
The trailer takes no time to take the viewer to Riverdale, a hill station, during the early 1960s. With the place having its own slow pace, things change (for better or for worse, we'll leave that up to you) as Veronica (Suhana Khan) returns home from London while Archie (Agastya Nanda), just like the original comic character, seems to be the apple of Veronica and Betty's (Khushi Kapoor) eye as he looks to find a way out of the town to build his career in the world of music. 

Their life turns upside down as the group rallies together to save Green Park, an iconic location in the town that will soon be razed to the ground by Mr Lodge, Veronica's father. And that's when Dilton (Yuvraj Menda) and Reggie (Vedang Raina) lead the charge and bring about a change that drives the film forward.

The battle to save Green Park: While one enjoys the love, friendship, music, vibe, and how the makers have aced the period, that the film is based in, it’s this part of the trailer that stands out the most. While the group has their own individual identities and does not believe in the same things, watching them put their egos and differences aside to stand up for the one thing that they believe in—the town—is refreshing. We can't help think how timely this message might be with everything happening in the world.

Friendships put to the test: Veronica and Betty find themselves on opposite sides of the fight as the former’s father is set to put a lot of people out of a job as he buys all the land to make a plaza, one of them being Betty’s dad who owns a bookshop. Does this friendship between the best of pals deteriorate as business gets personal or does Veronica realise that it’s never too late to stand up for what’s right is what makes for a very interesting character arc. 

The casting is spot on: The one who clearly stands out is Suhana Khan, who, as Veronica, absolutely nails the mannerisms of the character that we’ve grown up loving. While she’s polished, posh, and an absolute fashionista in every frame, watching her character undergo a transformation as she stands up against her father to save Green Park is something that is sure to intrigue audiences. Khushi Kapoor as the cute and innocent Betty is promising. While we don’t see much of Nanda as Archie here, we hope that the film sees him prove why he’s a kid to keep an eye out for. Ahuja as Jughead and Menda as Dilton are absolutely brilliant in the scenes that they’re in along with Dot, who, as Ethel, adds a lot of emotion to the proceedings.    

The Archies is backed by Zoya Akhtar and filmmaker Reema Kagti through their production house Tiger Baby, Graphic India, and Archie Comics. The film is directed by Zoya, who has co-written it with Kagti and Ayesha Devitre. The Archies will stream on Netflix from December 7.