'Archie’s grew up in front of me': Karan Johar reveals first look of Archie comics' Bollywood adaptation

If you're a 90s kid, you probably spent your time reading on Archie comics and exploring the town of Riverdale through the eyes of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones and others. You must have seen Riverdale on Netflix or at least heard of the hefty criticism it has garnered. While the hype is still alive, Bollywood jumped on the bandwagon with their own take on The Archie's that will release on Netflix in 2023.

On May 14, both Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar took to Instagram and shared the poster and first look of the upcoming fiction film. It features an ensemble cast including debutants Agastya Nanda (Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson), Suhana Khan (Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter), Khushi Kapoor (Sridevi’s daughter), Mihir Ahuja, Dot, Yuvraj Menda and Vedang Raina.

The fresh faces have been styled like their comic counterparts, Suhana sporting long black hair like Veronica, Khushi with bangs and slightly lighter coloured hair, perhaps hinting that she may be Betty Cooper in the film and Agastya as Archie with curly locks and the iconic Archie haircut though he did not have the signature red hair like the comics or the TV show.

Filmmaker Akhtar has asked her followers to "get ready to take a trip down memory lane" and the Koffee With Karan host shared his thoughts on Instagram as well. He "toasted" his filmmaker friend in the caption for always "chartering different territories in every film" and lauded all the kids in the poster with a warm "welcome".

"I grew up one The Archie’s and now with so much love in my heart I say the Archie’s grew up in front of me. I grew up with the maker of this new universe! For me this film will never be a film. It will be a feeling, a burst of love and so much pride," he wrote and concluded with the fact that Riverdale was his "bachpan ka pyaar [childhood love]".

Other celebrities also dropped by in the comment section to congratulate the stars and the filmmaker on the upcoming film.

Filmmaker Farah Khan and our very own Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy also commended their work. Actors Anil Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Hrithik Roshan, Shibani Dandekar, Sonali Bendre and Ananya Panday also showed love under Akhtar's post.

According to Variety, the official pitch read, "A musical experience bursting with youth, rebellion, friendships, first loves and everything young adult, it still promises to have something for every generation. The film has the iconic gang of The Archies’ at the centre of it, and perfectly matches the youthful energy, hope and excitement of the sixties era."

While the first look has been revealed, a confirmed release date hasn't been released except for the year it will debut on Netflix — 2023.