Netflix's 'The Archies' director Zoya Akhtar on nepotism: 'When you say Suhana Khan shouldn't be in my film...'

Zoya Akhtar is fresh off the release of The Archies that has been streaming on the giant Netflix since December 7. The cast of the film shows Agastya Nanda as Archie Andrews, Khushi Kapoor as Betty Cooper, Suhana Khan as Veronica Lodge, Vedang Raina as Reggie Mantle, Mihir Ahuja as Jughead Jones, Dot as Ethel Muggs, and Yuvraj Menda as Dilton Doiley. In an interview with Juggernaut, the filmmaker addressed the much-talked about debate around nepotism. Speaking to the portal, she revealed, “That is a conversation to be had. Everyone needs to have the same kind of education, job opportunities, et al. But when you turn around and say Suhana Khan shouldn’t be in my film, it’s banal because it’s not going to change your life whether she’s in my film or not. You have to talk about what is going to change your life.” Addressing the issue in another interview Agastya is  Amitabh Bachchan ‘s grandson, Suhana is  Shah Rukh Khan ‘s daughter, and Khushi is Boney Kapoor and the late Sridevi’s daughter. In an interview with The Indian Express, Akhtar addressed the debate around nepotism in the film industry and said, “There is definitely a conversation of have and have nots, there is definitely a conversation of people with privilege and those without.” She added, “May be the film industry has become a symbol of it to some level, but I think what people need to ask for is what they really want. Better school, better education? By denying someone a career of their choice, that’s not going to make anything better for you. So I understand that to the root of it there is something but just this conversation is not taking it anywhere. It is not changing anything.”