The era is 1964. The setting is a quaint little hill station, teeming with Anglo-Indians, somewhere in North India, called Riverdale. Archie (Agastya Nanda), Betty (Khushi Kapoor), Veronica (Suhana Khan), Jughead (Mihir Ahuja), Reggie (Vedang Raina), Ethel (Dot) and Dilton (Yuvraj Menda) are highschool students in their last year of school. They’re on the cusp of adulthood and like most teenagers, are struggling with the issues that come with this age. Archie and friends, who have their origin in one of the most widely read American comics, find themselves transplanted in India in a unique way. To have them as Anglo-Indians is a nice touch. Let’s not forget the Indian in the community’s name. The people of Riverdale love India and wouldn’t think of living anywhere else. If they listen to The Beatles, then they are also aware of Mohammed Rafi, Shammi Kapoor is as much a sex-symbol for them as Elvis and masala chai feels as refreshing as soda pop.

The Indianisation is superbly done. The essence of the Anglo-Indian community – their love for music, for dance, baking, working in the railways, adaptation of the western style of clothing and hairstyle, as well as their accents is brought to life in great detail.

The film follows the same arc that’s shown in the comics. Archie can’t decide between Veronica and Betty, Jughead loves to eat every minute and Dilton loves to invent quirky things. Betty is shown to be a good baker, Ethel is a great hair-dresser and Reggie wants to be a journalist. Veronica, of course, is too rich to actually understand the concerns of her middle-class friends.

Adulting is hard. While the youngsters are busy with their last year of carless living, they also get to know that their town might be changing, and not for the better it seems. In the name of progress, the old places, like the bookshop of Betty’s father or the town’s favourite cafe, Pop Tate’s, are getting bought over and giving way to glitzy storefronts lacking a soul and there are rumours that their favourite place, Green Park, which lies at the heart of the town and is sacred to the community because of its nostalgic value, too is marked for development. They decide to raise their voice against it and in the process, realise their strengths and weaknesses.

The film’s cinematographer, Nikos Andritsakis, has given Riverdale a picture-postcard quality, filling it with bright colours and warm hues. The production design and the costume design teams too have done a wonderful job. The film has been designed as a musical, with songs replacing dialogue in key scenes. While the songs are catchy and do complement the film, they don’t make an impact outside of the film’s narrative. While the plot is predictable, the writing, especially the portions which revolve around friendship, has been fresh and breezy. They smack of real relationships between a group of teenagers. Another good thing is that while the film does tilt a bit towards Archie, Betty and Veronica, the others too get their moment in the sun. It showcases proper group dynamics, with some being more dominant than the others but at the end, everyone is a friend.

It isn’t just a launch vehicle for starkids like Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor and Suhana Khan but brings the others – Mihir Ahuja, Vedang Raina, Aditi Dot and Yuvraj Menda into the limelight as well. The director must have taken lots of workshops with them because they not only seem like real friends on screen but also come across as seasoned performers, rather than newbies. Suhana grows on you as the film progresses and so does Vedang. Yuvraj has a more layered role to play and does it effortlessly. Dot makes for a fine Ethel as well. Khushi comes across as a natural on screen and so does Agastya. While he can be said to be the find of the film, each of these super confident kids have a great future ahead of them.

Watch the film for the dose of nostalgia that it provides. It makes you yearn for your school/college days and for a life which was simple yet perfect.

The BJP is still working on selecting the final names to be made chief ministers in the three states where the party won the recent assembly elections, sources said. The party will appoint observers for the three states tomorrow to finally choose the names, they said.

More than a handful names are said to be in the list of probables for the chief minister posts in the three states – Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP fought the elections without naming any chief ministerial candidate.

The observers are likely to oversee meetings of the newly elected MLAs in the three states, where they will pick their leaders. Many within the BJP see the massive mandate it has got in the three states as a strong statement of wider popular support for its policies and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan remains a strong contender in Madhya Pradesh, following the party’s win with a two-thirds majority. Union ministers Prahlad Patel, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar are also being seen as among the probables.

In Chhattisgarh, former chief minister Raman Singh, state BJP president Arun Kumar Sao, leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik and former IAS officer OP Chaudhary are seen by political analysts as among the contenders. Except for Mr Singh, all the three leaders come from the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

The BJP leadership has, however, often surprised observers with its chief ministerial picks in the past.

In Rajasthan, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje is seen as one of the contenders for the top post. Some 25 BJP MLA met her on Monday in what was seen as a show of support and strength. Though the MLAs termed it a courtesy meeting, they said they will support Ms Raje if the party leadership chooses her for the top post. Ms Raje along with her son Dushyant Singh met BJP chief JP Nadda in Delhi this evening.

A viral video has surfaced showing layers of oil floating on floodwater in the Ennore area of Chennai. The area is home to several oil refineries and petrochemical industries, and the police are currently tracing the origin of the oil discharge.

Chennai is currently grappling with the devastating aftermath of Cyclone Michaung. Torrential rains have left the city’s low-lying pockets submerged in water, highlighting the critical need for improved flood prevention measures. 

The crude oil has reportedly spilled into the Buckingham Canal, a crucial waterway in the area. In the viral videos, the oil, slick like a dark stain, flowed freely along the canal’s surface, its path leading towards a nearby river, raising concerns about the potential contamination of a vast aquatic ecosystem.

READ | PM Modi Okays Rs 561 Crore For Chennai Flood Management Project

Days after Cyclone Michuang unleashed torrential rain on Chennai and its surrounding districts, the city continues to battle crippling waterlogging. The floodwaters, relentlessly clinging to the streets and suburbs, have paralysed daily life, leaving many stranded in their homes. The oil spill has now added to the problems.

Chennai Petrochemicals Limited (CPCL) has denied any leakage at its refinery at Manali. 

“We are investigating,” it said in a statement. “Due to Cyclone Michaung incessant rain caused unprecedented flooding inside the refinery. Other industries of Manali were also badly affected. Despite the flood situation in and around the refinery, the CPCL team rose to the occasion and ensured uninterrupted and safe operation of the refinery.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greenlighted the first urban flood mitigation project in Chennai, allocating Rs 561.29 crore for “Integrated Urban Flood Management” activities in the Chennai Basin project.

Efforts to pump out stagnant water are being undertaken across various locations throughout the city while the Indian Air Force and the Coast Guard were engaged in dropping food and medical supplies from helicopters.