Asian Paints builds a visual narrative for Netflix’s The Archies

The celebrated filmmaker’s Netflix movie, The Archies, has been creating a buzz for over a year now. In fact, that was around the time that Asian Paints too ventured into the world of Riverdale; it was in 2022, that Akhtar’s production house, Tiger Baby Films, approached the brand for an interesting partnership.  The idea was for Asian Paints and Beautiful Homes to be the main collaborator on fabrics used on the sets. The selection was from the brand’s headlining collections—Ador, Pure Royale, The Pure Concept for Nilaya and Sabyasachi for Nilaya.

Akhtar wanted to get the right look as she desi-fied, in her urbane style, a well-loved slice of pop-culture history. As is evident from the set designs, a well-thought-out curation of Asian Paints fabrics has certainly delivered.

The production design team found what they wanted in Asian Paints fabric collections to build a visual vocabulary that was toned-down opulence. This held true for all sets, including the mansion of the richer-than-the-gods Lodges. Fabrics that made the cut were from The Pure Concept for Nilaya, Pure Royale, Sabyasachi for Nilaya and Ador. The soft furnishings were used across the board, from curtains to upholstery, blending seamlessly into Merwanji’s canvas of hues. “The [colours] are very soft on the eyes. Nothing jumps off. Everything fits together.”

Veronica’s bedroom is, of course, the prettiest set of all, as is fitting for an heiress. It has been decked out in Pure Royale’s floral motifs and paisley prints, and solid shades, and Ador’s complement of muted colours and rich tones. The other sets, too, are eye-catching and showcase a pleasing mix of light hues and warmer colours, all in the service of Merwanji’s big-picture vision. Clearly, the contemporary colours and the subtle modern India aesthetic that these fabrics possess were just right for this particular version of Archie’s familiar stomping grounds.

There isn’t a generation in any part of the planet that has stayed immune (or ignorant) to the all-American teendom that Riverdale showed us. This movie, with its ode to Archie and his gang against beautifully layered backdrops, promises to renew fervour and interest into a comic icon.