The Archies casting directors rubbishes nepotism backlash: Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda & Khushi Kapoor got roles after auditions

Just hours after the release of Zoya Akhtar 's The Archies teaser on May 14, the discussion over nepotism was reignited. The casting of star kids Suhana Khan ( Shah Rukh Khan ’s daughter), Khushi Kapoor (Boney Kapoor’s daughter), and Agastya Nanda ( Amitabh Bachchan ’s grandson) in the movie drew a lot of criticism from the netizens. In a recent interview, the film’s casting director Nandini Shrikent and Abhishek Banerjee came up with an explanation behind the decision saying that all the star kids were tested before being offered the roles.

Reacting to the nepotism backlash, Nandini said that each star kid is very specifically, super-perfect for the role they’ve been cast in. It was a proper casting process as they tested many people for the roles. “We didn’t just go over with these roles on a platter to the three star kids and say ‘Here they are!’” she told Quint. Whereas Abhishek opined that actors who come from a filmy background are well versed than outsiders. “Even that star kid, they will also learn through the process. Once they are on the set, they will have to learn,” he added.

Also read: Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor & Agastya Nanda will groove to classroom themed dance track for Zoya Akhtar's The Archies? 

The upcoming Netflix movie is the Hindi adaptation of the American comic series of the same name. Set in 1960s India, Suhana will play the role of a teenage character based on Veronica Lodge from the Archie comic. While Khushi will portray Betty Cooper’s role. And Agastya will essay Archie Andrews’ character. The film also stars Vedang Raina , Mihir Ahuja, Dot, and Yuvraj Menda.

The film is being bankrolled by Zoya and her longtime collaborator Reema Kagti under their production house Tiger Baby . The team wrapped up the Ooty schedule last month. The project was announced last year in November. The film is slated to release on OTT giant in 2023.