Trolling is an inseparable part of the entertainment industry. No matter what they make, there are always some people to troll/criticise them. So happened today with The Archies. Netflix India is working on an original film which is directed by Zoya Akhtar.
The musical film stars 6 new actors of which 3 of them are from affluent families in Bollywood. Also, the teaser showed them in costumes which were never worn by the Indian masses. They looked like something from the Europe/USA of the 60s.
So people had two points namely “NEPOTISM” and “WOKENESS”.
And thus began a series of trolling where people brutally abused Netflix for promoting wokeness and nepo kids gang. Some declared it the reason for Netflix’s doom in India and even threatened to cancel their subscription.
It’s definitely alright and needful to call out the filmmakers for their content but people are missing a big point. Sadly, even Netflix didn’t present that point to validate why ‘The Archies’ looks so un-Indian.
But before we go to that point, have a look at some of the things which people have to say.
In which part of India and in which decade, did teenagers dress up like this 😂
Netflix commissions most shows for 50 woke friends of their executives. Rest of the country has to stretch their imagination to impossible levels to relate. https://t.co/s6T8NII3D5
— Pratyasha Rath (@pratyasharath) May 14, 2022
No wonder, Netflix is going down! Which school in India has prom nights? If you can't make a series suited to Indian taste and sensibility, no point expecting subscription.
— राजीव (@BihariSarpanch) May 14, 2022
DC Universe of Nepotism 😂
— Shashank Shekhar Jha (@shashank_ssj) May 14, 2022
MGNREGA scheme for starkids.!!! https://t.co/lSDfjxleAq
— Tejas 🇮🇳 (@TYeotekar) May 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/earthtoakash/status/1525434108549435394?t=3o9PToqGKLnjVzpQCt_G8w&s=19
Don't these Netflix folks have someone in their staff who actually knows about India ? Prime is coming up with elite content like Panchayat,Mirzapur,Pushpa while they are still stuck with peak garb of Sobo/Bandra cult to promote star kids #BoycottTheArchies #SuhanaKhan #nepotism https://t.co/RU7xWkVeKh
— Kunal (@achilleshector) May 14, 2022
But let’s clear some facts beforehand. Nepotism is a very blurry concept with no absolute answer. Because we have nepotism products like Arjun Kapoor who is as expressionless as a still picture. On the other hand, we have Alia Bhatt and Hrithik Roshan who are phenomenal at their job and undeniably deserve the status they have.
So judging someone before seeing their work is not a sensible thing to do.
The next point is wokeness and its relativity in the Indian context. But what people don’t know is that the film is not even set in India. Surprisingly, even Netflix didn’t put forward this fact in their tweets/posts.
The Archies is set in the fictional town of Riverdale which happens to be in the USA. So, there is no way the actors would be seen wearing Indian clothes in that.
This case is nothing but an example of jumping hastily to a conclusion. Zoya Akhtar is not only a highly capable director but also knows to connect with the masses. Let’s hope that The Archies comes out to be good otherwise, the audience will reject it anyway.
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