Zoya Akhtar reveals what she could have done differently in The Archies: ‘Certain things with the screenplay…’

Zoya Akhtar, who attended the latest session of Expresso, talked about her films as a writer and director. The filmmaker also talked about her last venture The Archies and revealed what she could have done differently in the film.

Zoya Akhtar talks about The Archies.

The latest edition of Expresso saw the amazing father-daughter duo Javed Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar discuss poetry, screenwriting, and filmmaking. While Javed brought his experience into the discussion, Zoya too shared her insights. Towards the end of the conversation, the father-daughter duo were made to play a rapid fire round. During Zoya’s round, the filmmaker-writer was asked many things including what she would have done differently in The Archies.

When asked what does she think she could have done differently in The Archies, Zoya said, “I think there are certain things with the screenplay, I could have done differently. And, certain things with the marketing.” When asked what she could have done with the screenplay, Zoya laughed and said, “No, I don’t want to say this.”

Also Read | Zoya Akhtar on censorship: ‘You can see women being beaten and sexually assaulted, but you can’t see a kiss?’

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Zoya Akhtar is known for making films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), Gully Boy (2019), and segments in the anthology films Lust Stories (2018) and Ghost Stories (2020). She is also a board member of Mumbai Academy of the Moving Imgae (MAMI).

Her last venture was The Archies starring Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan, Boney Kapoor-Sridevi’s daughter Khushi Kapoor, and Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda, among others. The film had a direct-to-OTT release, but opened to mixed reviews.

Also Read | Javed Akhtar reveals why his writing style is gentler compared to progressive writers: ‘Today’s generation doesn’t like preaching’

Expresso kickstarted in April with actors Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi as its guests. It was followed by Taapsee Pannu and filmmaker Imtiaz Ali in July and now Javed Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar, marking its third episode.

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Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

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