The Archies: Zoya Akhtar calls nepotism debate ‘banal’; asks, ‘Who’re you to tell me what to do with my money?

Zoya Akhtar’s recently released The Archies witnessed the debut of seven fresh faces in the industry. Among them are Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan, the late Sridevi’s younger daughter Khushi Kapoor, and Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda. In a new conversation, the director called the nepotism debate surrounding the film “banal.” She also added that no one can tell her what to do with her own money at the end of the day.

Zoya Akhtar speaks on nepotism debate 

In an interview with The Juggernaut, The Archies director Zoya Akhtar opened up about the nepotism debate. She said: “I think the debate is about haves and have-nots. It is about privilege, access, and social capital. I completely understand having anger or frustration at the fact that you do not have the access some people get so easily. That is a conversation to be had.”

She further added that everyone needs to have the same kind of education and job opportunities but when you turn around and say Suhana Khan should not be in her 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,” added the director. 

She also added that one cannot consider it nepotism when the director is using his or her own money. “Who are you to tell me what to do with my money? It’s my money! If tomorrow I want to spend my money on my niece, it’s my problem! At the end of the day, if a director or an actor gets another job, it is solely on the audience. They decide if they want to see them or not,” shared Zoya. 

Apart from Suhana, Agastya, and Khushi, The Archies also stars Vedang Raina, Dot, Mihir Ahuja, and Yuvraj Menda. The film is based on the American comic book series of the same name.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Zoya Akhtar calls Suhana Khan’s Veronica ‘hard working’, Yuvraj Menda’s Dilton ‘party animal’; talks about The Archies cast