- Photo by White Star
The silence in the cinema hall at Atrium Mall on Friday, despite being packed like sardines, was meaningful. The audience had come to see the premier of the last (or so it’s been claimed) edition of the famous Harry Potter series of films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II, directed by David Yates. They were all aware of what had so far preceded in the story that included the three Horcruxes, objects in which pieces of Voldemort’s soul are hidden.
Many had booked their seats a week in advance at Atrium Mall. Compared to their western Potter fans, it’s nothing. In Europe and the US they make a beeline outside cinema halls months prior to the first screening. The Karachi audience on Friday primarily comprised the young and ebullient, ‘what’s up’ crowd, a bunch of them wearing the black robes (which they called gowns) that Hogwarts students usually put on. And they believed Harry Potter’s worth spending time and money on.
Sidra, who has just passed out of college, said she’s fond of the Harry Potter films, but liked the books better. “You can imagine a lot more things reading the books, while films restrict you to what you see. Still, it’s good fun to watch the movie version.”
Sidra’s favourite character is Hermione, the girl that completes the trio with Ron and Harry.
Aadil, a Karachi University BBA student, is exceedingly fond of Hermione, for reasons that he didn’t wish to divulge.
The Hermione factor, for some inexplicable reason was common with the youth. Naina, who’s just finished her stint at the Karachi Grammar School, said she identified with her. “She’s just like me.” Naina exclaimed she wouldn’t have missed out on the film no matter what. “It’s our last chance to cling on to Harry Potter. We’ve been waiting for it for one year.” However, she didn’t like all the movie versions. “In the fifth part they omitted a lot of things. That’s why I prefer books to films. They provide you with much more scope to imagine.”
The obvious question that springs to mind is: what relevance do such forms of entertainment have in a volatile country like Pakistan? Sumaira, a private student, responded, “It’s one way of escaping the hullabaloo that’s been happening.” And would they like to see a Pakistani version of Harry Potter? “No,” was the unequivocal reply from Naina and Sumaira.
The last part of one of the most successful movie ventures (followed by the rags-to-riches success of J.K. Rowling on whose books these movies are based) begins with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) resuming their endeavour looking for the three Horcruxes in order to get rid of them. As the film, nay story progresses, the magical deathly hallows are uncovered. And from then on begins a tussle, replete with eye-popping magical feats and enchanting sequences that result in Voldemort’s defeat. Voldemort is played with incendiary force by Ralph Fiennes.
Some might argue that the last edition of the Harry Potter series is not as visually strong as its predecessors were. It’s open for debate, for there’s a scene in the film in which Harry and Hermione get trapped in a place where everything Harry touches multiplies. The scene had all the potential for turning into one of the most talked-about viewings in cinema, since when Harry almost gets buried neck-deep in metal vessels the sequence totally had the audience in its spell. But for some odd reason the scene wasn’t as elaborately shot as one would’ve expected. Still, the shortness of it is readily forgotten when Ron, Harry and Hermione get on the back of a fire-spitting creature, fly in the air and jump into the ostensibly calm waters beneath which there’s another world of magic ready to unfold.
Not all the girls (and boys) were fans of Emma Watson (Hermione). Aroob, a young girl studying medicine, said Prof Snape (played by Alan Rickman) was her favourite character. Why? Doesn’t he have negative traits in him? “Well, in the last film it turned out he’s not an out-and-out bad character. Also, I liked the sixth part more than any other. It was more true to the story,” she said.
