I relate to Hermione Granger the most in Harry Potter films: Aarohi
Ask
Aarohi
if she is still a Potterhead and she quips, "Always" (like Professor Severus Snape). On International
Harry Potter Day
, the Udan Chhoo actor tells us why she loves
Harry Potter films
, how she is trying to turn her husband (actor Tatsat Munshi) into a Potterhead and more.
'I saw the first Harry Potter film in 2008 and the rest is history'
Aarohi turned into a Potterhead in 2008, thanks to her younger sister Sanjanaa. She says, 'Sanjanaa is a big Potterhead, and she insisted that I must watch the movies. In 2008, I saw the first film and the rest is history. Usually, I prefer reading a book before watching a film based on it. However, I watched the Harry Potter movies first and read the books later. I love everything about it, but I still feel reading the books before watching the movies would have been better, as it would have allowed me to build my own Hogwarts or looks of the characters.'
Aarohi's favourite book and movie is Deathly Hallows
She adds, 'Every year, my sister and I have a Harry Potter marathon during winter, with cups of hot chocolate. It is like a tradition for us.'
'Hermione Granger is my favourite character'
While she loves all the characters, Aarohi relates to Hermione Granger the most. She says, 'She is my favourite character because I relate to her completely. In school, I was a first bencher too, who memorised all the answers and raised my hand all the time to answer questions (laughs). Also, I like Emma Watson (who played Hermione Granger).'
Aarohi believes every character in the series has their own amazing journey. She says, 'I feel the books and the films are brilliant. We enjoyed them as children and continue doing so even today. Every character from the first part to the last one has its own journey, and each of them stays with us.'
She adds, "I don't have high expectations from the reboot series, reports say it will follow the books closely, so I have my fingers crossed. But nothing will ever match the charm of the original movies."
'I told Tatsat he has to watch Harry Potter films, it's non-negotiable'
Aarohi, who married Tatsat Munshi last year, says not knowing anything about the Harry Potter world was 'not acceptable to me.' She laughs, 'I told Tatsat that to be 'happily married' to me, he has to watch the films, it is non-negotiable. I am glad he is watching them and enjoying it too. We are going to London in June for my sister's convocation and we will visit the Harry Potter World (
Harry Potter Studio Tour
) and places like Elephant House café in Edinburgh, where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book. I am preparing him for that too (smiles). I really want to try
Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans
, apart from Butterbeer, pumpkin pasties and treacle tarts'
Accio Rapid Fire Round!
· Favourite book/movie?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
· Favourite spell?
Alohomora (spell to unlock doors and open locks)
· The Hogwarts House you belong to?
Gryffindor, in every manner
·
Which D-Town actors will play these characters best?
- Harry Potter:
Pratik Gandhi
- Hermione Granger:
Obviously, me!
- Ron Weasley:
Mallhar or Mitra Gadhvi
- Albus Dumbledore:
Siddharth Randeria
- Professor Snape:
Abhinay Banker or Jayesh More
- Professor McGonagall:
Gopi Desai
- Hagrid:
Deven Bhojani
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On building resistance and solidarity What comes next when the hunger for power takes over and, in extension, threatens to change the natural order of things? You resist. Not only do you do so, but you also learn to stand by your friends, build allies, and practise solidarity. As the story of the series progresses, and so does Voldemort's shadow spread, the story unfolds to a rallying cry for unity—Dumbledore's Army. The words that still trigger goosebumps—'We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided'—become a blueprint for grassroots resistance, not just in some books or films based on a story made out of thin air, but in contemporary cultural contexts. What better to fuel real-world activism than stories of a fictitious world that might be laced with magic, but effortlessly seep into everyday reality! The burden of choice This has been one of the most central, simplest, and yet one of the most layered themes that Harry Potter has navigated. Harry's character arc is the notion that destiny is not preordained but chosen. Whether it's Harry deciding to question Peter Pettigrew instead of cursing him, or choosing to save Cedric Diggory from being bewitched rather than leaving him to lift the Triwizard Champion's Cup alone – Harry's choices have always echoed with what Dumbledore had preached: 'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. ' Dumbledore's words, "when the time comes we must choose not what's easy but what's right," have been the moral epicenter of the magical saga, reiterating the importance of agency and accountability. In today's socio-political climate, crowded by cheerleaders of populist propaganda and catalyzed by an ocean of misinformation, the idea that one must choose integrity over convenience remains crucial. What Rowling created with the Harry Potter franchise is not only a cultural touchstone but also a relic that's woven into the fabric of global popular culture. At its core, Harry Potter is a story about the triumph of empathy over prejudice — a tale for resisting authoritarianism, standing up for the oppressed and marginalized, and forging one's own moral compass. After decades of its premiere, the saga of magic, friendship, and moral courage continues to capture imaginations around the world – and rightfully so, resonating strongly amid today's socio-political convulsions. But, as Harry Potter's relevance keeps up, reassuring millennials of their choice of souvenir to keep from childhood, a sombering sense of discomfort creeps up in the Potterhead club; it's the fall from grace of the creator herself. The rift regarding Rowling Although there are many other works to speak of her literary prowess, Rowling's legacy has always revolved largely around Harry Potter and related works. The world discovered Joanne Kathleen Rowling only when she let the world step into the magical universe she had created. Having conceived the idea for Harry Potter while on a delayed train in 1990, she began writing the first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" under the name JK Rowling—using two initials rather than her full name—as suggested by the staff at Bloomsbury Publishing. Why? Because, back then, expecting everyone to read a book written by a woman seemed like a ludicrous daydream! Harry was the chosen one in her books, true. But parallelly, Rowling kept proving her mettle too. The first book was eventually published in 1997 after being rejected by multiple publishers, and the rest is history. She has been adored, looked up to, and in a way, even worshipped worldwide amongst the sea of fans, followers, and admirers she had amassed. Until that changed. Why? Arguably, nothing has eclipsed Harry Potter fandom's conversation in recent years more than Rowling's public statements on something extremely sensitive: transgender issues. As strongly as she has rooted for destigmatization in her most-acclaimed work, in reality, her comments have only perpetuated the same against one of the most oppressed and marginalized communities of our time. It all started when, in 2018, Rowling 'liked' a tweet describing trans women as 'men in dresses.' Although her spokesperson later attributes it to a pocket-dial accident, in December 2019, she penned down a blog post 'defending' women's rights and decrying 'the concept of gender identity' as undermining biological sex. Thus, the first sign of fall from grace. As the years went by, her stance only grew firmer, and her bigotry became uglier. In mid-2020, Rowling rejected the idea of 'people who menstruate,' as exclusive of trans men and non-binary individuals, stating, 'I'm really sure that sex is real.' Cut to 2022, Rowling publicly funds Beira's Place, a women-only crisis center, and tweets 'Merry Terfmas,' referring to trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) critics. For the unversed, Rowling launched Beira's Place—named after the Celtic goddess of healing—a London refuge for women survivors of sexual violence, explicitly excluding trans women. In 2024, Rowling extended her support to NHS nurse Sandie Peggie in a tribunal case involving a transgender doctor's use of female facilities, framing it as a stand for women's rights. And this year, she took it several notches higher, as she posted a celebratory snap of herself—with a cigar and a glass of spirit—following the UK Supreme Court's decision on the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill, a ruling that affirmed the legal recognition of women is based on biological sex. What a twist of fate, what a fall from grace! A crooked queen, a broken heart, and a hurting community Now, you've got to understand this (or maybe I do, one more time)... for someone who has grown up buried in hardbound books and spending Sunday afternoons on POGO where they cast a Pitradev Sanrakshanam spell, instead of an Expecto Patronum – Harry Potter has been something, resembling the closest to my Holy Grail. Satyajit Ray has always come first, and Sunil Gangopadhyay has been a close second. But then, it was JK Rowling ! Harry Potter has been my most reliable go-to companion through all these years. A bad row at college, come back to Harry Potter. A productive day at work, get back home to celebrate with pizza and Harry Potter. A fight with the best friend, cry it out while watching Harry Potter. In short, Harry Potter has been the anchor that has kept me going. In extension, Rowling's works did. Imagine growing up on the kind of moral values that Harry Potter instills in you, and then one day, witnessing the creator herself breaking her character to defy each one of them. It's been brutal, to say the least. Several readers, especially trans and queer fans, have voiced their feelings of being betrayed, arguing that an author who demonizes marginalized identities has forfeited moral authority. Online forums have documented fans unreading the books or distancing themselves from the brand. Several fans even have tooted for pirated versions of Harry Potter books and films, in order not to contribute one more penny to the financial legacy of Rowling. And for the rest—the ones who failed to let go of the dearest souvenir from our childhood—we have wrestled with our moral compass and settled at a compromising position where we've agreed to make an exception and separate the art from the artist(s). We continue to hold on to the stories, create and build a safe space amongst the members of the Potterhead club, and we sure as hell remember to share the core message that the series brought along in the first place: empathy, authenticity, and courage (all the while bracing ourselves for yet another moment of heartbreak whenever Rowling manages to stoop lower). So, where does Rowling's legacy lie? With her creation of a wizarding world that shaped innumerable lives across the globe, Rowling most certainly has etched her name in history. But, is it written entirely in glory? At this point, her legacy looks more like a mixed bag – a tapestry of contradictions. On one hand, Rowling is the one who weaved strong themes of authenticity, courage, resistance, solidarity, empathy, and unity in diversity through Harry Potter. With charitable ventures and philanthropic footprints like Volant Charitable Trust and Lumos, she has solidified her social stature, bolstering her public persona. In 2014, she even donated £1 million to Scotland's anti-independence 'Better Together' campaign to denounce purity-based nationalism. On the other hand, today, Rowling is out on a witch hunt. Time and again, she has not only voiced her opinion on trans-women and trans rights, but she has also publicly questioned the concept of gender identity – essentially disregarding the existence of the idea of self-identifying gender, and the ones who align with it. Furthermore, she contributed £70,000 to a legal challenge against Scotland's Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which sought to simplify legal gender change, an action that ultimately culminated in a UK Supreme Court ruling (April 16, 2025) affirming a biological-sex definition under the Equality Act 2010. The one who taught us inclusion through her work once has now dedicated her life to inducing segregation. In the end, a creator's legacy is measured based on how rich their cultural influence has been, rather than how much controversial capital they have amassed. Going by that trend, none of Rowling's legacy can potentially eclipse her own creation, Harry Potter. However, given the contemporary scenario and her current stance, it is not only ignorant to overlook the trainwreck caused by her blasphemies, but also deeply unfair to absolve her of the consequences of her antics – just because she created something we hold dear. On top of that, it's foolish to expect that this era of her being won't leave a giant taint on her legacy; that is to say – she is humiliating her own legacy. Ultimately, Rowling's legacy may rest in the very choice she has granted us. As she unravels more and more in the coming days, the choice lies in us – to choose between complicity, critique, or cautious admiration. After all, with a Rowling-sized legacy – one either stays true to her own preachings, or deviates far enough to be remembered as a cautionary tale. Tom Felton's Tony Awards Moment Sparks Backlash Over Rowling & Trans Rights Remarks | Fans React
