'A Dream We Didn’t Even': Sara, Avni On Stepping Into Wizarding World With Audibles' Harry Potter- EXCLUSIVE

The global release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: The Full-Cast Audio Edition has not only created excitement among fans, but also among the cast who've breathed new life into J.K. Rowling's beloved world through sound. Among them are creators Sara and Avni Deshmukh, aka iconicakes, who lend their voices to the Patil twins, Padma and Parvati, in what promises to be the most immersive reimagining of the Harry Potter universe yet.

And as it turns out, stepping into Hogwarts-even through a mic-was a childhood dream come true. When the opportunity first came to join the series, both Sara and Avni were overcome with emotion.

"I think initially when I was asked to voice a character in the Harry Potter series, I freaked out. I think Sara pretty much did the same as well," laughs Avni. Sara adds, "I'm pretty sure I like shed a tear. I was crying. It was like, this is six-year-old Sara's dream come true. This is insane." Avni agrees with a smile, "A dream we didn't even realise that we had."

For both, the world of Harry Potter has been a part of their lives since they were little.
Avni recalls, "Because I lived in India until I was eight years old, my introduction to Harry Potter was in one of the Indian cinemas with the nice masala popcorn and sitting down. But my experience was not one that was very enjoyable because I was extremely scared of absolutely everything. I don't know why because Harry Potter isn't even like scary. It's not scary whatsoever, but I loved it." Sara laughs, "I've been loving Harry Potter ever since. I used to get so excited again to get the masala popcorn and go to the cinema every single time there was a new movie."

Avni and Sara's characters, Parvati and Padma Patil, may be twins, but each comes alive with distinct personality and voice. "Parvati Patil is an extremely studious, loves-to-gossip character who kind of seems like somebody who's always up to do the right thing and the good thing, even if that means that the good thing isn't following the rules all of the time," says Avni. "She's very similar to me... she's not just the good girl on paper, teacher's pet. When push comes to shove, she does make decisions for herself... and she's a sassy gal."

Sara continues, "Same with Padma, to be honest. She's sassy, but she's a little shyer than Parvati, I think. And the younger sister is like, no, pluck that." When it came to finding their voices, Avni explains, "The voice that I landed on is quite a bit different to mine because it's a little bit higher pitched and a little bit like teenage-y and angsty... I just took inspiration from people that I know in my life that are extremely involved in school culture."

Recording the Harry Potter audiobook was an immersive, almost theatrical experience, say the sisters. "I think within a studio environment, to work with the director and the team when it comes to producing an audiobook or this storytelling without the visual aspect - it was so hands on," says Avni.

"They really sort of brought you and immersed you within this world... it was so incredible to be a part of it." Sara adds, "The cool thing about it is that everyone is like building this visual reality together. So, they're like maybe she's like a bit tired... walking on the stairs... present it like that, and that's what I thought was really cool. It's like we're world building together, which I thought was really fun." And while it's audio, it's far from a still process. "Very physical," Avni explains. "You're waving the wand about, it gets you in the headspace to deliver the best." Sara agrees, "You don't realise how everything contributes to making that noise. It could just be saying 'hi' after walking a little through a crowd - you have to use your entire body to deliver that 'hi,' which is really funny."

Even the most magical sessions came with surprises. Avni shares, "Unexpected challenges... you're standing for a really long time and also speaking for so long. My weird side effect was that I started getting hungry out of nowhere. So, between takes, I was snacking on pretzels on the side." Sara laughs, "I think my unexpected challenge was stepping into another character while using my second accent. I had to not be myself in this accent - but I also didn't feel at home with it either. It's like I'm putting on a character on a character, which was bizarre, but really fun!"

As artists and listeners themselves, Sara and Avni find deep creative value in the audio format.

Avni shares, "I am somebody who paints a lot... I listen to a lot of audiobooks when I'm painting or creating something. I think in moments like those, audiobooks are extremely helpful and immersive - creativity breeding more creativity." Sara says, "My favourite thing about audiobooks is how you can fully immerse yourself, but it's still on your terms - you can listen to something, but you still create the world yourself. That's what I love about this - it's going to help me make the most insane daydreams." Avni adds, "I hope that the Harry Potter fans are going to like it... maybe even have a neutral opinion because I am very scared of the internet. So, I would just say I hope that they enjoy - that's a very high bar. Maybe I just hope they don't mind it."