Is it the young Wizard of Hogwarts? Or is it the much older sleuth of Baker Street? In the midst of another round of global Potter mania as another film and another book are released, the jury is out on whether Harry Potter is indeed the most popular fictional character ever.
A TimesofIndia.com poll asked readers this and the verdict is split down the middle. Of the respondents 47% say yes Harry is the all-time most popular, but 48% say no, wait. Don’t forget Sherlock Holmes. And Aladdin, Superman, Spiderman. And, of course, 007.
There is no doubting that Harry has a huge army of muggles voting for him. There is Praful Merchant from Texas who seems completely bitten by the Potter bug. "In recent years, Harry Potter movies have become equally popular amongst kids, teens and adults. They have always had record collections at the box office. Barely has any other star (character) created such magic," he writes.
Megha Sharma from New Delhi echoes Praful: "Of course Harry Potter is the most popular fictional character ever!! Even Lord of the Rings with all the series put together can’t beat him," she says.
And Abhimanyu Saharan from USA says: "Harry Potter movies are not only a treat for the kids, they hook teens and adults as well. I think that no other character has been able to capture our minds and hearts more than Harry Potter. Harry Potter books have revived the habit of book reading among children, who were otherwise glued to TV sets only."
From London, Suvidha writes in that "Harry Potter is the most popular fictional character as it not only caters to a section of population, but has a mass appeal."
Many more readers have chipped in to speak up for Harry. But there is significant army of naysayers. Readers who refuse to let their abiding heroes bow to the appeal of a young wizard merely seven books old.
In the list of characters preferred for the title are ones as diverse as Aladdin and comic book heroes Superman, Spiderman et al. Quirky types like P.G. Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster. But among the brigade that says "not Harry", the favourites are the men who go out and solve mysteries. Tintin, everyone’s favourite scribe scores high as do James Bond and even Agatha Christie’s fastidious detective Hercule Poirot. And above all, Arthur Conan Doyle’s evergreen creation Sherlock Holmes.
A TimesofIndia.com poll asked readers this and the verdict is split down the middle. Of the respondents 47% say yes Harry is the all-time most popular, but 48% say no, wait. Don’t forget Sherlock Holmes. And Aladdin, Superman, Spiderman. And, of course, 007.
There is no doubting that Harry has a huge army of muggles voting for him. There is Praful Merchant from Texas who seems completely bitten by the Potter bug. "In recent years, Harry Potter movies have become equally popular amongst kids, teens and adults. They have always had record collections at the box office. Barely has any other star (character) created such magic," he writes.
Megha Sharma from New Delhi echoes Praful: "Of course Harry Potter is the most popular fictional character ever!! Even Lord of the Rings with all the series put together can’t beat him," she says.
And Abhimanyu Saharan from USA says: "Harry Potter movies are not only a treat for the kids, they hook teens and adults as well. I think that no other character has been able to capture our minds and hearts more than Harry Potter. Harry Potter books have revived the habit of book reading among children, who were otherwise glued to TV sets only."
From London, Suvidha writes in that "Harry Potter is the most popular fictional character as it not only caters to a section of population, but has a mass appeal."
Many more readers have chipped in to speak up for Harry. But there is significant army of naysayers. Readers who refuse to let their abiding heroes bow to the appeal of a young wizard merely seven books old.
In the list of characters preferred for the title are ones as diverse as Aladdin and comic book heroes Superman, Spiderman et al. Quirky types like P.G. Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster. But among the brigade that says "not Harry", the favourites are the men who go out and solve mysteries. Tintin, everyone’s favourite scribe scores high as do James Bond and even Agatha Christie’s fastidious detective Hercule Poirot. And above all, Arthur Conan Doyle’s evergreen creation Sherlock Holmes.
'Harry is popular, but don't forget Holmes'
!['Harry is popular, but don't forget Holmes']()
Reviewed by Bobby
on
4:37 AM
Rating:
No comments:
Post a Comment