Click to play videoNew Delhi: The fifth movie in the phenomenal Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix hits theatres on July 13. Is the wizard more spell binding on 70mm?
What makes the nerd in moon-rimmed glasses so appealing to an entire generation of children and their parents? Is the titanic marketing machinery pushing up sales or is it simply a good story, told well?
On CNN-IBN's India 360, Smitha Nair leads the Muggles into the the world of wizardry and de-codes why Harry Potter has whipped up such mass hysteria.
Pottermaniacs from all across the country join CNN-IBN on the show. The question that was being debated on India 360 was: Is Harry Potter reaching a cult status?
On the panel of experts to try and answer the question were author Deepa Agarwal; and President, Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, Thomas Abraham.
Potter books vs Potter movies
From the time when Harry Potter finds out that he is a wizard, till when his name comes out of the Goblet of Fire for the Triwizard Tournament, the whole magical wizardry lent itself beautifully to the 70 mm. But what do Pottermaniacs really think? Do they think that the big screen magic is one up on the books?
CNN-IBN correspondent Shwetal Kamlapurkar joined in from Bangalore saying that the opinion in that particualr city, amongst the youngsters was pretty much a divided one.
Some youngsters say that the movie portrays the drama and the intensity of the storyline. They say that the spells, the terror, the happiness and the grief can all be seen and felt more in the movies than the books.
However, others feel that the books are much better because when one is reading the book, one pictures the scenes and the surroundings the way one wants them to be. The movie, on the other hand, is from the director's point of view. They say that the movies sometimes skip out on many important scenes that Potter fans look forward to, like the Quidditch World Cup in the fourth part.
With the varied views on the subject, however, the jury is really out on whether the movies are better or the books.
BLUR_B
Why does Potter appeal to Indian children?
The story is about a white boy in a multi-coloured world, dealing with English public school problems - it just so happens that the school has something to do with magic. It's a world much far removed from ours, so why do children in India identify with Harry Potter?
To this, Thomas Abraham said, "Quite simply, I think it's the magical way in which the story has been told. I think that is what makes it tick, but there is no formula as such because if there was, then there would be many more clones of the book by now. Remember Potter is absolutely unique when it comes to book, but this is a phenomenon that has been making history since Gutenberg invented the printing press."
He said that the Potter movies have had nowhere near the same impact as the book, in terms of fan following as well as grossing money. "I feel that the movies are successful because they follow on from the books," he added.
Deepa Agarwal added that Harry Potter stories seemed to combine so many different popular genres of fiction for children. "There is fantasy, it is a school story, there is mystery and there is suspense - one book contains everything and that is the greatest appeal of the book," she said.
She added that the fact that Harry Potter was an empowered orphan, makes him even more popular because the orphan figure is always popular in children's literature.
"You see, children always face a sense of paralysis. They are always being told by adults not to do this or that and an empowered child makes it for an interesting read," she stated.
The Dark Side of Harry Potter
Many sociologists argue that because of the grim tenor that runs through these books, it really is not a good idea for youngsters to read these books and get influenced.
To this, Deepa Agarwal said, "If that was a fact, then why are children going potty over Harry Potter? I think children know better what they want than what sociologists would like to believe."
Then there was also the point that JK Rowling never really pandered to the children or spoke down to them in her books. Instead, she speaks to them like she would to anyone else.
Will Harry Die?
If Harry Potter is indeed to die in the last and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will he just become a fad for this generation, or is he still going to be a cult classic?
To this Deepa Agarwal said, "I definitely think it is going to be a cult classic. He is a phenomena and the mania is unprecedented. There is no way that he is going to be just a fad."
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