Afshan Azad loves Neville Longbottom

Potter girl, Afshan Azad will be the star guest at the upcoming Hyderabad Comic Con. Ahead of her visit; the actress gets candid about her maiden visit to the country and reminisces her Potter days

The Hyderabad Comic Con (HCC) is set to witness one of the stars from the Harry Potter series. Remember the little Indian girl Padma Patil portrayed by Afshan Azad from ‘Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire’? She will be gracing this year’s HCC.

The British born Bangladeshi actress started her career in 2005 and was seen in five Potter movies. With this, Comic Con India has given Potter-fans of the city to come close to interacting with one of stars from their favourite fantasy franchise.

This is Afshan’s first visit to India and in a candid interview with The Hans India she shares her excitement about the same, her stint with Potter series and more…

Excerpts

What are your plans when you come to Hyderabad?
I can’t tell you how excited I am about this Hyderabad trip. I don’t have anything planned yet and unfortunately, I’m only there for a short time. I hope I’ll have time to go out and actually get a taste of the Indian culture and see all the things Hyderabad has to offer.

And, is biryani on the menu…?
That’s the first thing I think about when the word ‘Hyderabad’ is mentioned. Biriyani is my ultimate favourite so I CANNOT WAIT TO TRY THE HYDERABADI BIRYANI!

Will you participate in Cosplay?
No, I don’t think I’m going to participate in Cosplay this year. I don’t think I’m cool enough to think of something amazing to dress up as! Although, I can’t wait to see what everyone dresses as on the day.

Who is your favourite character from the Harry Potter series?
Neville Longbottom! I love how he was the underdog and we all got to watch him evolve and grow up throughout the years, and he actually came out to be one of the most influential characters in the whole story.

How was it while you were shooting for the films?
To say that it was ‘incredible’ is an understatement. Undoubtedly, it was the best experience I will ever have in my lifetime. I've met so many amazing people who are now my closest friends and I have amazing stories to tell my children one day.

How did life change after the Harry Potter franchise?
My life is still the same, only now I have my experiences to guide me in my decisions. I have been given so many opportunities after Potter to travel and indulge in new things of which I could only dream. I’m a very lucky girl and I have ‘Harry Potter’ to thank for it.

Why did you not take roles in other films post-Potter?
After Potter, I auditioned for a few years in London and did a few little things here and there but, then my family and settling back home in Manchester became a priority. I hated being away from my family and friends whilst I was filming, and being around them is my favourite thing. I am still figuring out what I truly want to do. I don’t think acting is for me right now, I want to dabble in other areas, which interest me.

Any memorable moment from the sets?
The Yule Ball scene in ‘Goblet of Fire’ was pretty memorable as the set was incredible and everyone was dressed up so it was so different to being in our Hogwarts uniform.

Eid was earlier this week, how did you celebrate it?
Eid is a huge celebration for my family and me. I ate for the whole day and spent some quality time with my family.

What are your future projects?
I have a few things in the pipeline that I’m working on so I don’t want to jinx anything yet, but it’s all exciting and you should be seeing a lot more of me soon.