Potterhead Reminisces - Part 2

So continuing on the HP journey...

First ever theatre experience:

The first ever theatre experience was a bit baffling. The movie was the Half Blood Prince. When the movie released I was in Gandhinagar for my job training period. A couple of my friends and I had finished the training by 6.00 pm and rushed to the theatre for the 6:30pm show. Surprisingly there was no rush and we were the only people in the theatre. Apparently, it was a weekday. Only when the movie started I realized that it was the Hindi version. Oh! you should have seen me cringe for every spell that was translated to Hindi. 

But I was more pissed off by the entire movie than the language. For all non HP people, this book actually gives us glimpses of Voldemort's life i.e. the villain before he started scaring his world. Disappointingly the movie only had very essential portions the directors thought that would support the narration of the movie. I strongly object. Had they been included, maybe Voldemort would have more screen presence. The protagonist and antagonist would have been balanced. The flashbacks in the movie were only means to the end. I found the movie didn't do justice to the book.

Characters I like:

Harry, Ron and Hermione - Being the prime characters, I don't think these 3 need an explanation as to why I like them. Fun fact: Every time I read the book I pronounced Hermione as 'her-me-yon' but actually it was pronounced 'Her-my-oh-nee'.

Dobby - not pleasant to the eyes but a very sweet character. U might find him first revolting and annoying but you start liking him as time goes. My friends used to tease me that Dobby is my boyfriend. His loyalty can be heartwarming and always stands by what is correct. He is such a free-spirited creature.

Luna Lovegood- She is so peculiar and also sweet. Misjudged person at the first and people warm up to her later. 

Weasley Twins - The funniest, intelligent and mischievous duo. What's not to like in them. They are like the tiny rays of light when the story is travelling in the dark tunnel. 

Snape - This character was thoroughly a surprise. He can be the most annoying and infuriating person at times. Hated in all the 6 books and then one book changed everything. I even mourned when the actor who played Snape, Alan Rickman passed away. 

Characters I don't like:

Umbridge - She is the epitome of hypocrisy and cruelty. Of course we are supposed to hate her. Her character was written as such. I don't hate Voldemort as much as I hate her. 

Ginny, Trelawney - I don't know why I don't like these two characters. I never got to like them till the end.

Book set:

In 2016, I had an entire set of Harry Potter books. A gift from my husband. You should have seen me smiling from ear to ear. The fulfilment we feel when we get what we wished for, however small it might be can be soul satisfying. Don't get me wrong.. the book set is not a small gift.

Why people like Harry Potter:

I have a theory on why people like Harry Potter. It is a common good vs evil story with generous portions of fantasy elements in it. But this is not just a children's book. Children are always kept away from things that are scary like hatred, death, cruelty, loss etc. But these things are most of the time are part and parcel of our life. This book series touches the subjects about making choices in life while adulting and facing harsh realities of life. I am in my mid-30s now. My ideas and leanings towards different subjects have changed through time. But I can still resonate with many things in the book. I am not able to ignore the book as just a children's book. 

My husband's take on HP

My husband thinks Voldemort is the best wizard and Harry won because he is just lucky. Hubby admires him for his attitude, power and style and the story was biased too much towards Harry. Also being a fantasy novel,  no logic required for the final results. I contradict that though it is fantasy you cant leave gaping plot holes. Everything can be explained. I accept that Harry had help from friends, teachers and well wishers. The victory was not his alone. He is not as equally powerful as Voldemort. Nor was Neville. He could have taken the evil path of revenge for his parent's death and become more powerful and evil than Voldemort. Essentially Harry and Voldemort are similar by many ways. But it was Harry's conscious choices that speaks loads. Like in spiderman, with great power comes great responsibilities and Voldemort was reckless with his power.

I think I have maundered on enough on Harry Potter.

Until we meet again, Ciao!!! 

Potterhead Reminisces - Part 1

2022 started off with Harry Potter's 20th Anniversary Video in Amazon Prime. All who barely even know me, will know I am a Potterhead through and through. Damn, I was a Potterhead even before I read the books or watched the movies. It took me back to the time I was introduced to Harry Potter.

How it all started:

I was made aware of such a fantasy world when I was in my higher secondary. I was glued to the TV screen when glimpses of the first movie premiere was announced. 

The visuals were enticing for I have not seen any children's movie with CG like that. The previous movie which I think came close to my admiration was Jurassic Park. 

So I wanted get introduced to this world before watching the movie. I couldn't easily get my hands on the copy of the book. Buying a new one was an expensive affair. There was this classmate in school who had read the books. She started telling me the story during one of the free hours. Just as she started 'There was a boy called Harry Potter and when he was a baby he was attacked by a bad man called Voldemort' the bell rang. After this I couldn't get hold of her and that was the end for the narration of the remaining story.

I am not sure if it was HBO or any other TV channel. There was no subtitles when it was telecasted. So I had to watch with what little English I was able to follow in the movies. The enunciation was not as good as the cartoon network which was the only English channel I used to watch. Till the end of my school, I did not get any chance to read the books. 

My first ever Harry Potter book:

In my first year of my college when I found a battered copy of the first book in a second hand book shop, I didn't think twice. I was a very proud owner of my first HP book. I dived into this new world of imaginary creatures, things, spells, witches, wizards and whatnot. I lent the book to one of my friends and that was the last I saw of that book.

My Harry Potter Journey:

My reading order was chaotic. Of the first 6 books, I went from 1 to 3 to 6 and then came back to 2, 4 and 5. Many things were puzzling because of this disorderliness. But nothing stopped me from ploughing through the books. After watching the movies in television, I realized that the movies were really good. But the books were MINDBLOWING. The detailing were impressed me. You are introduced to new concepts of this wizarding world  in every book. But my favorite among all the books are Half Blood Prince and the Deathly Hallows.

When the Deathly Hallows released I was in my college final year and me with some of my classmates were anxious about the climax of the series. The ultimate question was - will Harry Potter live in the end? Funnily the pirated version of the book was doing its rounds - one the original and another a fake. In one Harry Potter dies and in another he lives. We didn't know which is which. Like the fools we were, mourning for his death. 

By then I had read all the books using the mantra beg, borrow or steal (It means the pirated ebook version) and the Death Hallows was the only book left. I completed all the books by the time I started working.

So how did I like the movies?

My first theatre experience, favorite characters and buying the book-set, more on my next post....