Zoya Akhtar expresses disappointment over Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda, and other newcomers being ‘bullied’; says, “The audience is harsh with certain newcomers” : Bollywood News

Zoya Akhtar provided a launchpad for a series of star kids like Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor and Agastya Nanda in The Archies. While they made their debut on OTT platform Netflix, the film received mixed reactions across as many trolled the newbies for their acting skills. Addressing the matter, the filmmaker insisted that some of them even faced bullying and revealed that she felt guilty because at the end, they were only following her instructions.

Zoya Akhtar expresses disappointment over Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda, and other newcomers being ‘bullied’; says, “The audience is harsh with certain newcomers”

In the recent podcast with Komal Nahta, Zoya Akhtar opened up about directing almost six newcomers in her teenage drama The Archies and also responded to the kind of reactions the film received. “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,” she told.

She went on to add, “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.”

For the unversed, Suhana Khan is the daughter of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, Agastya Nanda is the grandson of legendary star Amitabh Bachchan and yesteryear actress Jaya Bachchan, whereas Khushi Kapoor is the daughter of late superstar Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor.

Also Read: Vasan Bala recalls Vedang Raina shooting for Jigra and promoting The Archies simultaneously: “He had a tough five months”