Mumbai’s Harry Potter fans weigh in on HBO’s upcoming reboot and new cast

The Next GenHermione all the wayMy interest was sparked by the adventure of a young boy discovering a hidden wizarding world From the introduction to Hogwarts the magic actionpacked battles and very cool lines it was amazing I think the actors look very much like us of our age and in school That makes it all the more exciting Though I like the main characters I want to see more of Hermionersquos story I hope they include more scenes of her using the Time Turner in schoolShanaya Chadha 10 student VikhroliHarry Potter is specialA scene from the films featuring Dobby the house elf Pics CourtesyHarry Potter on YouTubeI first watched Harry Potter with my mom She loved it and we would talk about Hogwarts and magic I loved the magic but I liked how Harry Ron and Hermione always stood up for each other even more My favourite scene was when Harry looked into the Mirror of Erised and saw his parentsI am excited about the new series It is different but thatrsquos okay I want them to show more things mdash like Peeves the Poltergeist He was really funny in the books Irsquod also love to see more of Dobby and his storyAarav Mehta 9 student Vikhroli EastTeen talkGo emoA scene featuring Rupert Grint Ron Weasley Emma Watson Hermione Granger and Daniel Radcliffe Harry PotterMy aunt and uncle introduced me to Harry Potter It opened up a whole new magical world for me One of the most unforgettable moments was when Sirius Black was introduced mdash the mysterious wrongly accused wizard who turned out to be Harryrsquos godfatherI was so shocked and devastated by his death that I cried and I couldnrsquot continue reading the book for a fortnight When I heard about the new series I literally screamed with excitement The cast especially Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Arabella Stanton as Hermione and Alastair Stout as Ron look perfectKanak Sanghavi 17 student BorivliGen Z to the foreA new interpretationI had watched the movies when I was in Grade 2 When I got to know they were based on the books I wanted them It is still so magical especially the first book when Harry discovers his powers One moment he is an orphan boy next door and the next moment he is the OGI cannot picture anyone other than Emma Watson as Hermione Same with the rest My brother has already sworn off the series But letrsquos give it a chance I hope they expand on the backstory of the Dursleys I feel they were harshly treated as evil but there is an emotional core to Petunia DursleySmritika Mishra 23 learning specialist ChemburFocus on the MaraudersMy brother got the box set first as a gift when he was 10yearsold I started reading with him Despite the familiar motifs you cannot deny that the books were pioneering in the genre at the time The reboot is a great idea Many Gen Z or Gen Alpha do not recall the movies anymoreThe controversy over the casting is overdone though I want to see characters fleshed out well In the movies Ginny and Ron Weasley were given poor treatment Also I would love to see an entire episode on Snapersquos background on the four friends mdash James Potter Remus Lupin Sirius Black and Peter PettigrewVanshika Paharia 24 professional GoregaonMillennial ahoyQuidditch gamesI think the series is a good way to reach out to Gen Alpha and Gen Z My first memory of the book is reading in the school library In fact I am still surprised my convent school stocked Harry Potter Without getting into JK Rowlingrsquos politics the world building in the books as well as the films are quite impressiveEveryone has the creative liberty to rebuild it The idea of a female actor play Voldemort might be shocking to some but you have to realise that it is part of moviemaking Personally I would like to see more Quidditch It can be quite actionpacked and add a touch of sporting cinema to the fantasy genreNirav Mehta 34 founder Broke Bombay Bibliophiles Mumbai chapter