Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows - Part 1 - Movie

I could hardly wait to watch this film and when I did, I have had a fantastic experience. I would not say that it stuck to the book to the letter, but at least the integrity of the book was kept as a whole. I do have a few complaints, but let me first feel the thrill running through of my nerves, of watching one of my favourite trio (onscreen and the characters of the book) – Harry, Ron, Hermoine. First impression, WOW, I am watching the epic finale or the build up to the epic finale. I hope the part 2 shall not be as disappointing as the book, though.

I would have been happy to watch the duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. I get it, that the movie is about Harry Potter trying to find a solution to the impending doom, but, is it not logical to put a little effort in capturing the essence of Dumbledore, who played a phenomenal role in what Harry is today and what he would be doing tomorrow? A little portrayal of Rita Skeeter’s book , introducing Aberforth (Dumbledore’s brother, who has a role in the next film, hopefully) and perhaps the death of his sister, etc. That story meant something to Harry and more importantly, it would have been nice to have one huge fight in the movie, with sparks, colors and spells. Not every day do we get to watch magic. And when I go into the theatre to watch Harry Potter, that is what I expect, magic, that leaves me spellbound. And also, that story speaks about what made Dumbledore who he is, which comes out in the final meet with Harry, at the moment of culmination of the epic war between good and bad. Now, I wonder, how the ending would be, of this interesting onscreen portrayal. And I have a very LONG wait.

Hermoine was superb, she dominated the screen, as usual. Harry was alright, the usual self. Ron, was good too. I have no complaints on the usual deviation from the book – like the point where Harry was supposed to be Barny in the Bill and Fleur wedding, as he should not be seen as Harry Potter in public, or the missing speech of trusting the remaining people in the room, after they were attacked by the Death eaters – this was a slight reference to Harry’s father, James Potter by Lupin, or Harry finding the letter from Lily and his childhood photo – a little reflection of the existence of his parents, just a warm note in his grim life. Dobby – the house elf was fantastic. Beautiful. The comedy timing in the film was superb too. One complaint that stayed from the last movie – do NOT change the essence of Harry Potter, please. Harry is not the one who asks people to take risk for his sake. In the movie, in the first scene, Harry was shown to be reluctant to ask other people to put their lives to risk, when they all turn into Harry Potter’s, but later on in the film, he asks Ron to accompany him on his journey to find horcruxes. You cannot show Harry with two different shades of character at the same time!!! Harry is not selfish, period. He is compassionate and his greatest strength is his innocence and the bond he shares with Hermoine and Ron. And the proof of that loyalty is what makes him accept their presence in the journey to meet his own death! Unacceptable! But I am willing to overlook the flaw! :)

The movie served its purpose, the build up to the finale is superb. I cannot wait to watch the final part of this series. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a Harry Potter series fan, the movie made sense to me. I am not sure, if it makes sense to all the people who have not read Harry Potter or watched his earlier onscreen portrayals. What amazes me is that the people who portrayed these characters have grown infront of our eyes, on the screen and it is fantastic to watch them grow.

For all you Harry Potter fans, grab your brooms and fly to the theatres to watch this film, NOW. And feel the grim tone with which you leave the theatres, in anticipation of the next part! I enjoyed the ride so far!

A sacrilege

There seems to be a choke stuck in my throat that is wilfully agonizing my day. For some reason, the choke is not out of despair, it is out of anger and frustration. What place are we sharing if a genius has to prove himself time and again, over and over and over again? 

Rahul Dravid is a phenomenon in Indian Cricket. He might not be as flamboyant as Sehwag, might not have been “God” of cricket like Sachin or might not have been as outspoken as Sourav, but that does not make him any less important to the team. I don’t want to speak of the exploits he did with the bat or the courageous displays of grit. I just wish that he would be left alone. Given a chance, I would envelope in a time capsule and push him away, away from all these prying eyes who want to rip him apart. His batting is like that of the brush strokes of Da Vinci and the sonnets of Shakespeare. Why question his commitment? if for one shot of his bat, I have to wait for a thousand strokes, I am prepared to wait, for when the shot unleashes from the bat, it is so artfully played that one is left gaping at the splendour. I cannot quite fathom the criticism he needs to take. Why? Why is it so difficult to accept greatness? Is it because it is available for everyone to see?

I do not want him to play any more cricket, to allow any of these people who cannot understand brilliance, to ever watch him play cricket. It is like leaving a diamond in the muck and expecting a tramp to cherish the rare jewel and not broker it in a pawn shop for a meagre trifle. Gosh! It is heart-breaking to listen to the comments. Deliberate malice just to nudge a reaction out of me seems to be the thing of the day. And to speak of him, to defend him, is a blasphemy, a sacrilege.