The Archies to Khufiya: Netflix unveils new Hindi titles, details inside

In a showcase event in Mumbai, Netflix India revealed its slate of Hindi original films. Zoya Akhtar's The Archies, Ali Abbas Zafar's Jogi, Vasan Bala's Monica O My Darling, Vishal Bhardwaj's Khufiya, Prosit Roy's Chakda Express, Yashowardhan Mishra's Kathal, and Anvita Dutt's Qala (Babil Khan's acting debut) are among the upcoming titles on the streaming service.

Plan A Plan B, a comedy about a matchmaker who marries a divorce lawyer, and Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga, a heist thriller set on a plane, were further announced by Netflix.

In total, nine original titles were showcased, with the press being given sneak peeks and official teasers. The cast and creative teams from each film attended the event. Netflix Content VP Monika Shergill was among those present, as were actors Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Riteish Deshmukh, Yami Gautam, Babil, Shefali Shah, Vijay Verma, directors Vishal Bhardwaj, Ali Abbas Zafar, producer Guneet Monga and so on.

The Archies is an Indianization of the iconic comic series set in the 1960s. Agastya Nanda as Archie, Suhana Khan as Veronica, and Khushi Kapoor as Betty are among the newcomers in the cast.

At the event, a video message from director Zoya Akhtar in conversation with Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater was shown. Ankur Tewari, singer and music supervisor of The Archies, performed a live musical showcase of the show with the band -The Islanders.

“It's been an absolute honour to be asked to make an Indian adaptation and the first-ever film for this very iconic Archies franchise," Zoya shared. "This is a surreal experience since Archie Comics was a part of my childhood. We have set it in the Anglo-Indian community in India and can't wait to transport you to the magical, fictional town of Riverdale.”

Vishal Bhardwaj's Khufiya is an espionage thriller starring Ali Fazal and Tabu. The film is based on Amar Bhushan's 2012 novel Escape to Nowhere.

“Our Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) is an over-secretive agency,” Vishal said about delving into the world of Indian intelligence. "When I read (Amar's) novel, I found it unique. It transported me to the R&AW offices. It's based on a real story that happened in 2004, where they had a mole in R&AW."

Backdrop on the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi in 1984, Ali Abbas Zafar's Jogi is a story of “resilient friendship and courage in times of adversity.” The film is headlined by Diljit Dosanjh, Zeeshan Ayyub and Amyra Dastur.

Joining in from the UK, Diljit Dosanjh said, “Jogi holds a special place in my heart and I say it with pride that this has been told on a global platform... This is my first film on Netflix and the subject is very important to me as you will see in the trailer.”