Javed Akhtar's take on nepotism - 'Zoya Akhtar shouldn’t be questioned for casting Suhana Khan and others in The Archies'

Amid all the "Animal," "Sam Bahadur," and "Dunki" of the world, there is "The Archies" that is grabbing, if not equal, a decent amount of spotlight from them. The movie, directed by Zoya Akhtar for Netflix, is a retelling of the cult tale and marks the debut of Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter, Suhana Khan, Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson, Agastya Nanda, and Sridevi’s daughter, Khushi Kapoor. This, of course, leads to the discussion around nepotism. Javed Akhtar now has his take to offer on the same.

Zoya’s father, legendary poet-lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar, has now spoken about nepotism and the word being associated with his daughter’s upcoming release, "The Archies." He was on the stage at the Sahitya Aajtak 2023 on Day 3 when he spoke about "The Archies" casting. He said how making movies means taking personal risks, and as for Zoya in particular, she is taking that risk with her own money. If anything goes wrong, the money at stake is not from any government fund or funding from any industrialist.

Javed Akhtar went on to say that as someone who owns the ship, Zoya Akhtar has the right to cast whoever she wants in "The Archies." “She has all the right to take anybody under the sun; she shouldn’t be questioned. She is taking the risk; it is her project, and she is backing it,” said the legendary lyricist. He also spoke about his take on nepotism and said that it can exist globally, but it is different in the cinema business.

Also Read: The Archies: From Suhana Khan to Khushi Kapoor, who plays what in Zoya Akhtar's upcoming directorial

He feels actors can only become successful if the audience accepts and appreciates them, so no one can be forced into stardom. “Film industry ke baare mein baat hoti rehti hain nepotism ki. Nepotism film industry mein ho hi nahi sakta. Duniya mein har jagah ho jaye, par yaha nahi ho sakta,” Javed Akhtar added. He further explained that nepotism is more likely in places where lower-level individuals have the power to hire. As for films, people are taking personal risks. “Lekin, yaha nepotism isiliye nahi hain kyuki aadmi yaha khud risk le raha hain. Wo kisi aur ke kandhe pe bandook rakhe huye hain,” Akhtar said.

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"The Archies," alongside Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, and Khushi Kapoor, also stars Dot, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, and Yuvraj Menda in leading roles. The movie is set to hit Netflix on December 7, 2023. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more.

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