Zoya Akhtar felt 'guilty' after Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor were 'bullied' for The Archies: 'What I felt terrible was...'

Marking the debuts of three star kids Suhana Khan (daughter of Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan), Agastya Nanda (grandson of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, and son of Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Nikhil Nanda), and Khushi Kapoor (daughter of Boney Kapoor and late Sridevi), the teenage musical drama The Archies was released directly on Netflix in 2023.

The director Zoya Akhtar, in her recent interview, opened up about The Archies' failure. She also talked about how she felt guilty and responsible after the newcomers, including the three star kids, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Yuvraj Menda, and Aditi 'Dot' Saigal, were trolled and 'almost bullied' for the film.

Talking to the film critic Komal Nahta on his podcast Game Changers, Zoya said, "Where did The Archies get any praise? It wasn’t like anybody was kind to me because the film was released on OTT. If it had been a theatrical release, the film would have been slightly different. At that time you feel terrible and responsible, but then I did my best."

The Gully Boy director further added, "They all are very talented and I would love to work with them again. What I felt terrible about was that they were newcomers. I auditioned them. We gave them the roles. A very professional crew dressed them. There were all the best names in the business involved. I workshopped with them. I okayed the take, so it was me. They just did what I asked them to do. I didn’t like the fact that they were being almost bullied. It wasn’t nice, it was all my responsibility, so I did feel guilty, but then they asked me not to. The audience is harsh with certain newcomers, not with all of them. I felt bad when this happened. If the audience didn’t like it, it was on me and not them. They all are very talented and people will see that with time."

Khushi Kapoor's next films after The Archies

After The Archies, Khushi Kapoor's first theatrical release was the romantic comedy Loveyapa co-starring Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan. Released on Februay 7 earlier this month, the film flopped at the box office. Khushi will be seen next opposite Saif Ali Khan's son Ibrahim Ali Khan in his debut film Nadaaniyan, which premieres on Netflix on March 7. 

Suhana Khan's next film after The Archies

Suhana Khan will be seen next sharing screen space with her dad Shah Rukh Khan in Siddharth Anand's action thriller King, which will feature Abhishek Bachchan as the main antagonist. Though it hasn't been announced yet, King is slated to release in the theatres on March 20 next year on the occasion of Eid 2026.

Agastya Nanda's next film after The Archies.

Agastya Nanda's next film is Ikkis, the biopic of the late Param Vir Chakra awardee Arun Khetarpal. Directed by Sriram Raghavan of Badlapur and Andhadhun-fame, the film was slated to release on January 10 this year but has been postponed. Ikkis also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Dharmendra in the leading roles.