Suhana Khan's The Archies Trailer Sparks Debate: 'Relatable Or Entertaining?'

Director Zoya Akhtar’s upcoming flick The Archies has been creating buzz ever since its inception. The teen-musical Netflix comedy launches star kids Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, and Agastya Nanda; the reason why it has been at the center of controversies owing to the nepotism debate. The previous teasers of the movie have garnered flak for white-washing characters and its heavily Westernized theme. Just a day ago, the makers dropped a full-length trailer of the movie, thereby sparking a debate on the project’s ‘relatability’ to Indian viewers.

It all began when a Reddit user asked, “Do movies or series really need to be relatable for audiences to enjoy them?” The question was put forward alongside a still from the Archies trailer. What followed later is a heated discussion about engaging and entertaining content.

Reddit users appear to be quite divided on the context of content relatability as many believe movies and shows should be foremost “entertaining.” A user commented, “No, they (movies) should be engaging and entertaining.” Another who shared the same thought pointed out, “Movies are fictional she (Zoya) can put a zombie in Riverdale and it’s still creative liberty. Movies are not made for being relatable (being relatable is a byproduct, not the necessary aim) the main aim is to be entertaining. Anyway, the most all-time favourite movies that ruled Indian hearts (YRF and Dharma movies) are not relatable to 95% of the population. So stop this.”

A section also highlighted, “If people want relatability then why are they watching stuff like MCU, Star Wars, GOT, or any action/Sci-fi or horror?” Adding an Indian example another asked, “They need to be entertaining. Who found RRR relatable?” A user who sided with the relatability factor explained, “It is very simple. Any content no matter from whichever part of the world will only work when it is relatable. I am sure there are many of us here who must have watched stories and content from all over the world and liked something that we could relate to.”

Meanwhile, a perplexed Redditor stated, “Do people have a problem with The Archies when it comes to relatability? I thought the issues were mostly on nepotism and the people in the show.”

Set in the 1960s fictional hill station Riverdale in India, the trailer of Archies opens showing a vintage Pop Tate’s store serving milkshakes and burgers. Rather than dialogues, the video weighs high on music to portray emotions whether it’s enjoying freedom or going through a heartbreak. Chronicling the gang of six friends, the movie is a reimagined version of the American comic The Archies. Watch the trailer here:

The Archies will arrive on Netflix soon, however, the exact release date is yet to be announced.