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| CURTAIN CALL: (From left) Daniel Radcliffe, J.K. Rowling, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint at the Potter premiere |
Harry Potter and the magic of reincarnation
J.K. Rowling wiped away tears at the emotional world premiere in Leicester Square in London last week of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the final film in the series, because the author has stopped the number of novels based on the character at seven.
The world has witnessed Harry Potter, Hermione Granger (my favourite by far, especially when she was little) and Ron Weasley — played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint — grow up from children into teenagers almost as they were members of our own extended families.
Rowling thanked the actors for “the amazing things they did for my favourite characters.”
She told her fans: “Thank you for queuing up for the books for all those years, for camping out in a wet Trafalgar Square.”
She then pleaded with the fans, who were chanting “Thank you” back to her, to stop.
“No, no, I’m already crying,” she wept.
Emma, who was also crying, said Daniel and Rupert were “like my brothers” and were “scheming” in an attempt to work together again.
She may yet succeed.
The three young actors are now said to have a combined wealth of almost £100m, with Daniel, who will soon be 22, estimated to be worth £48m. In an interview in GQ, he said he had given up drinking because he had realised he was becoming “reliant” on alcohol.
My prediction is that despite the declared aim of closing the Harry Potter saga with seven novels and eight movies, the British film industry may be forced to keep alive the most successful franchise of all time. Therefore, it is unwise to rule out either a “prequel” or Harry Potter and the Magic of Reincarnation Part 1.
After all, the seven films have already made $6.3bn worldwide, which exceeds the box office for 22 Bond films and the six in the Star Wars franchise. Over the past decade, the Harry Potter franchise has been a lifeline for British actors and technicians, many of whom attended Thursday’s premiere.
To be sure, Rowling, who is worth £530m and will make more money since she is digitising her output, has so far only seven Harry Potter novels. But let us not forget Ian Fleming wrote 12 Bond novels and one book of short stories and work has started on the 23rd Bond movie. It is also worth remembering that Conan Doyle, fed up with Sherlock Holmes, killed him off at the Reichenbach Falls but was persuaded by public demand to bring back the famous detective in The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
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| PREMIERE GIRL: Afshan Azad |
Freedom’s girl
Among all the high profile arrivals at the Harry Potter premiere, one actress slipped in almost unnoticed: the Bangladeshi girl Afshan Azad who plays Padma Patil.
Her charming father, Abul Azad, 54, and brother, Ashraf Azad, 28, guardians of morality, had beaten her up because she had committed the crime of having a Hindu boyfriend.
Despite Afshan’s plea to the judge to show leniency, Ashraf was given a six-month jail term in January. The court was told that when he overheard his sister talk to her boyfriend on her mobile phone, he gave his sister a severe thrashing. Then, encouraged by his parents, he went off into the kitchen to look for a suitable knife because his father suggested it might be quite jolly to kill Afshan.
During sentencing, the father accepted being “bound over to keep the peace for 12 months in the sum of £500”. This means he risks jail if he tries once more to impose his brand of parental discipline.
Given the family history, it certainly required courage for Afshan, now 23, to show up. It should have been an occasion when she should have brought along her proud parents.
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Best book
“I am an early riser,” Adi told me when he was in London recently for a CII summit. “I rise around 5.30am or six, exercise a little, go early to work. I am in my office, invariably by about 8.15am but then I don’t work till very late normally, so I leave my office by around six, spend a little time reading, with my family.”
He loves to read “books on business, biographies, Leo Tolstoy’s books and Charles Dickens but one of my favourite books in the last 30 years has been The Day of the Jackal.”
It’s an excellent choice.
He seemed surprised when I told him BBC Radio 4 had recently done a programme marking the 40th anniversary of Frederick Forsyth’s “seminal thriller” about a plot to assassinate General de Gaulle. He was being targeted by the OAS, the group in France which felt President de Gaulle had gone back on an earlier pledge to keep Algeria a French colony.
One reason why Forsyth’s fictional account is so gripping is the attention to detail lavished on the unnamed assassin as he prepares for his task like a true professional. Forsyth, a reporter for Reuters in Paris, published the novel in 1971 — two years later, it was made into a successful film, directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Edward Fox as The Jackal.
“Oh, really?” Adi remarked. “I didn’t realise it was 40 years, I thought it was less, but anyway, I enjoyed that book very much.”
Eyeing Sachin
The England bowler, Isa Guha, achieved a personal milestone when her side beat Australia last week by 34 runs in the final of the NatWest Women’s Quadrangular Series to retain their world No. 1 status in one-day International (ODI) cricket.
I note Isa, who is now 26, having represented England for a decade, claimed her 100th ODI wicket.
In a comment piece, she has done an even-handed assessment of the prospects for the forthcoming tour of England by the Indian Adams.
“Given their home advantage, the English look tough to beat,” says the Bengali belle. “Knocking India off the top spot is the big and inviting goal they’ve had plenty of time to think about.”
“On a personal note,” adds Isa, “I’m looking forward to potentially watching Tendulkar’s last Test at Lords and willing him to record his first century there — one of the few achievements within the game that currently elude the great man. Seeing him battling against Anderson’s skilled swing bowling and Tremlett’s pace and bounce will be great to watch.”
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| Mazar Mahmood |
Tittle tattle
Now that Rupert Murdoch is closing down the News of the World, millions will miss its alluring cocktail of sex and scandal.
But is it also farewell to the “Fake Sheikh”?
This is the nickname earned by Mazher Mahmood, in some ways Britain’s most famous reporter. By donning an Arab cloak and splashing around wads of notes, Mazher, my erstwhile colleague from Sunday Times days, managed to fool dozens of people, including from royalty.
Mazher, who was the one who exposed the cheating Pakistani Test cricketers last summer, has written a book, Confessions of a Fake Sheikh — The King Of The Sting Reveals All.
I, for one, will miss Maz.