Entertainment

Netizens disagree as Javed Akhtar praises Agastya Nanda for ‘The Archies’ and compares him with late Rishi Kapoor

With the release of three-star children in ‘The Archies’, Javed Akhtar has praised Agastya Nanda for his debut in the Zoya Akhtar-directed film. While praising his daughter Zoya, Akhtar has admitted that he has no reservations about admiring Agastya.

The noted lyricist described Nanda as one of the most brilliant emerging talents in the Hindi film industry since Rishi Kapoor over a half-century ago, emphasizing that, like the late actor, Nanda represents a more’masoom’ alternative to the prevalent macho image that heroes portray in today’s cinema.

Agastya Nanda is Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson and the son of Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Nikhil Nanda. ‘The Archies’ also marks the debuts of Sridevi-Boney Kapoor’s daughter Khushi Kapoor and Gauri Khan-Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan, in addition to Agastya. The film has received widespread criticism from netizens, who have stated unequivocally that these star kids lack the necessary skills to be actors or actresses.

The Archies is a coming-of-age musical comedy based on the American comic book of the same name that follows a group of friends in the fictional town of Riverdale as they navigate life while juggling friendship, love, and heartbreak.

The never-ending trolls on ‘The Archies’:

Javed Akhtar revealed to Rediff that he told Agastya’s mother (Shweta Bachchan Nanda) that her son is going to be a star. He stated, “So far, the hero has been portrayed as a toxic, macho man. Here is a simple and Masoom hero. Since Rishi Kapoor in Bobby, audiences have not seen a hero like Agastya. Agastya will appeal to all young people, particularly girls.”

The poet admitted that watching the children of Bollywood stars on screen is appealing to moviegoers. He shared an example, saying that at the film’s premiere, there was a 70-year-old lady with tears in her eyes. The lyricist revealed, “She said she was reminded of her young days when she was addicted to the Archies.” Javed Akhtar’s praise for Agastya Nanda irritated some netizens, who took to Reddit to express their displeasure with his remarks.

To this, a user wrote, “I’m sorry, but he had the charisma of a wooden log and barely spoke dialogue. Seriously, has Zoya gone insane? One of the most obvious drawbacks of Archies is the casting,” Another troll read, “Oh my god! What lengths these people will go to force nepotism down everyone’s throat!! We’re still reeling from Sara, Jhanvi, and Ananya. Please spare us this new batch of cretins!”

Another added, “Javed Akhtar hasn’t seen a single Bollywood film since Rishi Kapoor’s Bobby.” A Reddit user said, “Zoya stated in a few interviews that Agastya was the last one cast and that he wasn’t sure he could pull it off. This gave me the impression that he isn’t interested in acting and was coerced into it by his family and people like Zoya,”