1st June, 2K+4. Paanch bajkar pachpan minute (a la Time Table Subodh)
’’Hey Raj, fancy seeing yourself on the big screen?’’ It was a school friend of mine who had called me up. ’’Er ...’’ I said, ’’have you bought tickets for some horror movie or something?’’ ’’No, idiot, I am talking about Potter. I have managed to procure tickets for Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban. It’s for the premiere show and the film begins within 45 minutes!’’ ’’Umm, alright, ’’ I said in a disinterested tone. The first two movies had disappointed this diehard Rowling afficionado. But, since I was expecting my results on the 2nd, I decided to go and see the flick. ’’Kya pata, ’’ I remember muttering to myself, ’’kal ho na ho.’’
I don’t think I will mention the multiplex’s name as I don’t want to be accused of being its brand ambassador. Alright, let me say it, I entered Fame Adlabs and right in front of me, I saw a female who looked vaguely familiar. I was wondering who the striking damsel was, when her voice gave it all away. For lack of adjectives, let me say that it is the most characteristic voice in Bollywood, even more recognizable than Amitabh Bachchan’s booming baritone or Shah Rukh Khan’s st-st-st-st-st-stutter. I think the most apt description for her voice would be something like Donald Duck trying to speak like Jerry (the mouse, not Springer). Aha, my fellows, welcome to the world of Kim Sharma!
On venturing inside, I learnt that the movie will begin half an hour later than the actual time. They were expecting a huge celebrity, they told me. I was wondering what the fuss was about. While I sipped on my capucinno, I noticed Sameera Reddy talking to Kim. Other celebrities I caught a glimpse of included Mandira Bedi, Adam Bedi, Rakshanda Khan, Urvashi Dholakia, Jaspal Bhatti, Raman Trikha. Nobody huge as such. After staring at Sameera, Kim and Mandira for some time, I went into the hall and settled down to watch myself, er, Harry Potter on screen.
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Great books do not make good movies. While there have been exceptions to this rule a la The Godfather and The Lord Of The Rings, most films based on books leave you unsatisfied if you have read the book - something like an unpalatable meal. The same applied to the first two movies in the Harry Potter series, as they left the Rowling aficionado in me disgusted, to put it bluntly. So it was with a negative mindset that I started watching the movie, though I hoped that the new director Alfonso Cuaron would make a difference.
Oh yes, he did make a difference. In fact, he made many of them - a few hundred, I believe. Cuaron and the screenplay writer Steven Cloves have played around with Rowling’s novel to a great extent. While some of the changes make the big screen experience more fulfilling, the others leave you aghast.
A notable mention has to be made of the Knight bus, which picked up a disgruntled Harry who left the Dursleys after having lost his temper and almost blowing up Aunt Marge. Although the sequence is unnecessarily long, the effects and conductor’s histrionics leave the viewer deeply amused. Ah, we are off, and my initial apprehensions are forgotten.
All along in the first half, Cloves and Cuaron continue to make minor changes, especially to add to the humour quotient of the film - all to good effect. But, one wishes they hadn’t gone overboard with it, for while the first half has a heavy dose of entertaining moments, it still fails to grip you throughout.
On the other hand, purists are advised to steer clear from this film as Cloves and Cuaron go overboard - sacrificing or modifying vital events like Sirius Black breaking into Hogwarts, Potter learning about how Black betrayed his parents, the time when Potter sees the Grim while at Hogwarts and the first indication that Peter Pettigrew may be be alive. Quidditch is reduced to a farce as all we see is Potter dangling on his broomstick for a mere ten seconds - no Wood, no Cho, no Diggory, no victory of the Quidditch Cup. While one can forgive Cuaron for having edited the other regular events like the Sorting Ceremony, Quidditch occupies a major section of the third book.
On the flipside, the film does boast of a number of engaging sequences. Whether it’s the early fun in the Knight bus or the excellent camaraderie shared among the lead trio (a feature which was shockingly missing in the first two flicks), there are moments which make this movie much better than the previous two editions (which is not saying much, unfortunately). Some brilliant cinematography makes the experience worthwhile.
One of the highlights of an otherwise inconsistent latter half is the Time Turner sequence. Brilliant effects and brilliant screenplay bring one of the more confusing and differently interpreted sequences alive onscreen.
The third book is most-loved for the new characters it offers and the main reason I saw the film was to see how Lupin and Black would be depicted on screen. Lupin is a relevation; his beautiful interactions with Harry are filled with poignancy. I first felt that I didn’t enjoy Lupin’s character much, but on second thoughts, some of his scenes were the best portions of the movie. If only the other new character would have been so good ...
Which brings me to the most disappointing aspect about the book. One of my favourite characters is reduced to a mere caricature, and Black just fails to impress. I don’t know whether it is the unsatisfactory way in which his character is sketched in the film, or mere incompetent acting, but Black’s character leaves the viewer extremely cheated.
The turning point of the book, as Pettigrew, Black, Lupin and Snape slug it out in the Shrieking Shack, is reduced to a joke and simply fails to excite. Instead of a timid Pettigrew, what we have on screen resembles one of those sidekick comedians in Indra Kumar movies.
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley are the ones who didn’t appeal to me. While it’s irritating to watch Ron’s characterisation as someone who bungles as much as say, Nevill would, the lead protagonist remains blank in most scenes, although he makes a decent effort in the scene after he learns about Black’s betrayal.
Emma Watson ... sigh, what do I say? Whether it’s looks or acting skills, the cute Watson makes things elementary. Towering above the rest of the cast, Emma as Hermione is a revelation. Among others who impress, David Thewlis as Prof. Lupin and the ones who play Malfoy and Snape do a wonderful job, though I wish that the movie had more of Snape.
Gary Oldman as Sirius Black remains the greatest disappointment of the flick. He just didn’t fit into the image I had of him on reading the books and moreover, his character is rather ill-developed as the director has modified the original text a tad too much.
The final verdict on the movie and how I saw Aamir Khan ... move on the comments section, please!