Goan Reporter News: Archie comic meant the world to me, writing about it for a feature film was an honour yet challenging: Zoya Akhtar at IFFI 54
First Feature Film ever in Archie comic history; Archies to India is a match made in heaven: Jon Goldwater, CEO, Archie Comics
The Archies aspires to transmit the innocence, naivety and friendship of the iconic Archie comic into two-hour long narrative for today’s young generation, said the six times Filmfare award winner Director Zoya Akhtar at an ‘In Conversation’ session on ‘The Archies – Made in India’ held yesterday at 54th IFFI, in Goa.
Talking about the challenges of adapting a comic story into a film, Zoya Akhtar explained that catching the essence and nuances of the Archie comic, considering its huge success, and making it into a great cinematic experience for the audience was very challenging. “It was a large part of my childhood. The characters are iconic and globally loved, and bringing a film that fuels the nostalgia of a generation that grew up on the comic and yet resonates with the young adults of today, gives a whole new experience in scriptwriting’’.
Jon Goldwater, CEO, Archie Comic, said, “it’s a huge source of pride that the Archie Comics’ characters and stories resonate with fans globally, and especially in India, for more than 50 years. The filmmakers kept the integrity and authenticity of each fictional characters intact throughout the film. The Archie team in New York are very much proud of the film’’.
Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Director of Content, Netflix India said “this is a big moment for Netflix India where we get a global franchise by doing first ever feature film in the history of Archie comics. It is a cultural film coming out of India which will also connect to the global audience’.
The Archies is an Indian adaptation of the iconic comic series ‘The Archies;’ it is set in the fictional hilly town of Riverdale, in the 1960’s India where a group of teenagers wrestle with love, heartache, friendship and rebellion. The musical film is scheduled to be released on Netflix on December 7, 2023.
Goan Reporter News: You don’t have to be a woman to tell a woman’s story; ‘Sanaa’ proves the same: Pooja Bhatt
“Sanaa proves you don’t have to be a woman to tell a woman’s story. Empathy is not a female privilege’’ said actor Pooja Bhatt. She was speaking at a Press Conference held on the sidelines of the 54th International Film Festival of India in Goa today. Her film Sanaa is among the 3 Indian films that will compete with 12 others for the prestigious Golden Peacock at the 54th IFFI. Its story revolves around an ambitious woman grappling with internal battle that is rooted from unhealed trauma. Bhatt also expressed that it is essential to have a dialogue on important issues such as abortion. She thanked the Government of India for its efforts to ensure women’s safety, empowering them to take decisions that matter to them, and further added that the same should be celebrated.
Sanaa is directed by National Award winning Director, Sudhanshu Saria. Speaking at length about his idea and approach towards making the film, Saria said, “I wanted to go more into an amorphous zone and delve into the matters of jealousy, class and desire. Those things were far more potent. It was a mixture of 3 or 4 things going on, it was about people being selfish, inappropriate relationships at work, and not having a healthy understanding of self.” Speaking about his working style, Saria said that the cast and crew worked in sync. “The best job a director can do is to direct oneself while empowering others to work at their fullest potential”.
Other members of the cast who were present for the briefing included Radhika Madan and Nikhil Khurana who also shared their experience about working in the film. The lead actress Radhika Madan who played the role of Sanaa shared her experience in discerning the different layers of the character. She expressed how the film portrays Sanaa as a grey character and how it is a relatable character for many.