PremiumDid Shah Rukh Khan give ‘pep talk’ to his daughter Suhana Khan and other actors for The Archies? Zoya Akhtar reveals!
Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana Khan made her acting debut with Zoya Akhtar's Netflix film, The Archies
Suhana Khan and Shah Rukh Khan; (right) Zoya Akhtar
Last Updated: 02.53 PM, Jan 20, 2024
Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, who directed the Netflix film The Archies, has revealed whether or not she ever called Shah Rukh Khan on the set to give a ‘pep talk’ to his daughter Suhana Khan and the other upcoming actors in the film.
The Archies marked the debut of Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda and Boney and Sridevi’s daughter Khushi Kapoor. The film also marked the debut of Vedang Raina, Dot, and Yuvraj Menda, besides King Khan's daughter, Suhana.
Did Zoya Akhtar invite Shah Rukh Khan to the sets of The Archies?
Recently, in an interview with Mid-Day, Zoya revealed whether she had ever invited Shah Rukh to The Archies' sets so he could meet the actors and see the rushes of the film. Zoya replied, “No, I wouldn’t. I mean, no, because I’ve worked with newcomers. I’ve worked with Siddhant Chaturvedi and other various newcomers. You don’t call in someone and say, ‘Give them a pep talk.’ You just don’t do that.”
This clearly shows that Zoya approaches working with big-name actors and newbies in the same way. She has faith in the calibre of the actors that she hopes to produce. She sets an example by showing confidence in young talents and their abilities instead of placing pressure on them to act like superstars by choosing to invite Shah Rukh Khan to her sets. This is undoubtedly supportive behaviour for the actors because she wants them to go through their own journeys and experiences.
Zoya Akhtar on why she decided to cast Shah Rukh Khan in Luck By Chance
The filmmaker also discussed casting Shah Rukh Khan in her first film, Luck By Chance. The actor played himself in the movie and appears in an important scene. This happens after Farhan Akhtar's character, Vikram Jaisingh's, first film becomes successful. He meets Shah Rukh Khan at a party, where SRK advises him to never forget the people who supported him before he became famous.
In response to the question of whether she wrote the dialogues with the actor in mind, Zoya said that she believes that SRK is pretty grounded; he sticks by his old friends, the ones who helped him along the way and gave him a chance.