Archie and gang to go desi

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New Delhi, Apr 7: Iconic US comic-strip hero Archie is all set to go desi and woo sweethearts Veronica and Betty in Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil and Bengali, playing cricket instead of baseball and driving a Tata vehicle instead of a Ford.

Archie Entertainment president Steven R Herman, in an exclusive chat with FE, said the brand based on the Archie characters would make a splash across various formats like publishing, TV, mobile phones strips and apparel & accessories, targeting teens and tweens.

“Going local is an important criteria to reach new audiences and we plan to do precisely that as we expand across various formats,” Herman said. Even as it moves ahead to strike local partnerships, Archie Entertainment has appointed Star India’s license & merchandising division to exclusively represent the Archie property in India.

Giving examples of the special efforts for India, Herman said the company planned to localise stories and use local brand names, holiday spots and festivals in the story-line. “We will integrate Indian holidays or festivals in the stories and plan to use familiar Indian brands. For example, Archie can drive a Tata instead of a Ford; Veronica can wear a saree,” Herman said.

The company is also set to publish the comics locally instead of importing them from the US. “Localisation will make the comics very cheap in India, maybe below Rs 25 against the current price of around Rs 80,” he said.

The company has also signed an agreement with music and home entertainment major Sa Re Ga Ma, which will distribute Archie DVDs from the middle of this year.