Game of Thrones fan in Mumbai on edge as race for iron throne heats up

Like wolves in the robes of sheep several characters on the HBO show Game of Thrones carry dual identities Daenerys Targaryen is Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons Jon Snow is the Bastard of Winterfell and King in the North Cersei Lannister is Queen of the Andals and a few unprintable names So does Mumbaibased fan Satyajit OnionKnight RoyThe 33yearold owner of EGK Foods one of the largest fried onion manufacturers in India adopted a middle name because Season 4 had just ended I wanted to represent Game of Thrones and I sell onions Five years later it seems to have worked because people in the food industry know me as OnionKnightRedwolf an official vendor of the shows merchandise has a range of 647 themed products PicAshish RajeRoy borrowed the alias of Ser Davos Seaworth a kings advisor on the show Apart from his birth certificate he uses it everywhere his social media handles email signature and LinkedIn account Of course his mother thought hed become unhinged This was in 2014 and my friends were like Kya ho gaya hai tumko One of my doctor friends called me and asked Why dont you come in for a chat But they should have known as Roy does quite well that a lion doesnt concern himself with the opinions of sheepNo commitmentphobe Roy also wears the Hand of the King pin worn by the kings righthand man at all times The pin is a physical representation of the fandom Its a great conversation starter I have made a lot of friends who loved the show just because of the pin I wear it because it lets other people come to you Its a marker of a community like a Freemasons signet ringTanisha Fagwani PicAtul KambleWe are all oneSince it aired in 2011 Game of Thrones the TLDR too long didnt read version of the books by George RR Martin has united the world Given its length and complexity groupies can discuss and debate Easter eggs for hours on length Online forums and offline conversations have been dominated with conspiracy theories alternate endings declarations of love and words of bereavement As a way of connecting with the characters fans connect with each other As the final season airs on April 15 on Hotstar devotees in Mumbai too are setting aside their enmities and banding togetherPicsAshish RajeA dragon on the big screenAmong the earliest people to organise viewing parties were nerds Rishit Chauhan Suneet Kumbhat Poorva Pathre and Rutuj Mehta who started the Game of Thrones Mumbai Fan Club on Facebook in 2016 Its inception was at a party with my friends says ChauhanI asked What if theres a 130inch screen in front of you a couple of beers in your hand and fellow Game of Thrones fans around How would you like to watch a dragon on a 130inch screen The first episode of Season 6 was three days away They booked a banquet hall and four people showed up the original members of the house We lost Rs 20000 because we did it like amateurs All we knew was that we were Game of Thrones fans and we wanted to do this Then we shifted our strategy towards marketing By the time the final episode rolled in 40 fans did as wellThe experience inspired 29yearold Kumbhat to start his own events company Kasa Kai Mumbai which continues to host meetups for fans They have more than 2000 registrations on the fan page and a single raven brings the huddle together We see a few clips we discuss what we felt should happen there are several arguments he says There are a lot of nittygritties which generally go unnoticed in each episode If you see fan theory videos on YouTube there are many suggestions that people tend to miss Then you connect the dotsAnthony Stephen Mendes a 22yearold content writer is also fairly active in groups on Facebook and WhatsApp Mendes discovered the show only after the fifth season and binged on it like The Hound eats his chicken For the seventh season he hosted nine meetups and is organising four meetups for Season 8 over the next two weekends Our meetup plans have usually cropped up at house parties where we watch episodes together he says Most fans are very vocal about every scene Some read the books ardently and wait to pounce on every new theory that comes out The show gives them a sweet excuse to drink wine or ale which helps them know thingsVivek Malhotra PicAshish RajeThe GK of GoTAlmost every fan is watching the seven seasons or reading the five books again Revisions are usually followed by exams so Star World has been hosting regular quiz nights in the runup with every question vetted by HBO At Khar Social two weeks ago 150 people showed upThis correspondent attends another quiz at Mahalaxmi restobar Keiba with 22yearold Tanisha Fagwani the owner of a pop culture startup called Efgstorein Her hand goes up so often that the quizmaster Pranav Nambiar says Im going to give the mic to the most enthusiastic Well keep a first bench for you next time Fagwani says later Im the Hermione of this group the insufferable knowitallA GoT quiz night in progress at Keiba Mahalaxmi The night was organised by Star World whose team sends the questions to HBO which has produced the show for approval PicAtul KambleThe quiz is divided into three sections an MCQ sheet with 20 questions a family tree completion round and bingo which has no numbers its an intellectual housie says Nambiar He punctuates the evening with inside jokes Which disease afflicted Jorah Friendzone Mormont If you write rejection Ill give you five points Or Thats food youre eating and not one of your family members In response to the question who was the first to suggest Jon Snow is named King in the North he adds Woh choti ladki Lyanna Mormont is exactly the kind of answer we dont wantThere are some genuine diehards in attendance Nambiar asks for a volunteer to sing The Rains of Castamere from Season 4 and 25yearold Aman Aswani who is currently seeing the show for the third time steps up While discussing fan theories Fagwani owns the floor The Night King a zombie from beyond the Wall might actually win the throne Theres a stupid theory that since the throne is made of Valyrian steel he will die as well In the first scene of the trailer Arya Stark is running away in the crypt If the biggest assassin on Game of Thrones is running away from something it could be because The Night King has raised the dead You can expect Ned Stark her dead father to come back The books are following the idea that Bran Stark is The Night King Or that its all made up and Samwell Tarly is the narrator Hes George RR Martin Her final theory gets a chorus of whoas from the audience Cerseis unborn child could sit on the Iron ThroneAnthony Stephen Mendes PicSameer MarkandeFagwani tells us later Everything about this show from the direction and cinematography to the costumes characters and acting even the dead is so real Its going to go down as the best series ever made for a long time Ive been watching the series for the third time and reading the books again as well Its really important that people start reading the books because there are so many parallel events in them For all her prep she wins one of the rounds and a Jon Snow figurine Nambiar cant help himself Someone getting a Jon Snow figurine who knows everythingWith every round winners get so excited that Nambiar says Guys you are winning a goodie bag not the World Cup Vivek Malhotra 31 owner of Redwolf one of the official vendors of the shows merchandise has made a killing thanks to the stark loyalty the show inspired He sells 647 themed products including Tshirts mugs tote bags and posters and says House sigils and character quotes were a hit so it made sense to convert them into designs People were looking for merchandise to help represent the house they supported and the characters they were rooting for His own loyalties are visible in his personal collectibles a Longclaw umbrella which goes well with my King in the North teeNever forget what you areWith the final season on the anvil fans are already consoling themselves Its one of the few shows that have kept me thinking about an episode all week long It will be tough to find another show I love so much says Malhotra Fagwani says People are literally surviving the days till the next episode They are going to be a bit distressed about what the show did to them which generally happens after every episode And OnionKnight says There will be a big void in my life Its going to be pretty tough once its overAt the quiz Nambiar asks for a volunteer to take the oath of the Nights Watch Surprisingly no one remembers so he reads out the words which the rest of us repeat in one voice Night gathers and now my watch begins Even after the show ends fans will have each other For when the snows fall and the white winds blow the lone wolf dies but the pack survivesIn line for the throneThe eighth season of Game of Thrones arrives after a lot of blood and mayhem Despite this two Targaryens three Lannisters and three Starks continue to stand Their biggest enemy isnt alcoholism but The Night King a zombie whose hangerson include an army of the dead Five have a genuine shot at the Iron Throne and some are even whispering the name of Gendry but lets table that for nowFans pick their Azor AhaiDaenerys Targaryen or Cersei LannisterI hope to see Jon Snow on the Iron Throne but I dont think itll be him All men must die If theyre saying Valar Morghulis itll either be a woman or The Night KingSuneet KumbhatJon SnowI think it has to be Jon Snow since Melisandre refers to him as The Prince That Was Promised But as it goes in Westeros he might end up losing a few loved ones before he sits on the Iron Throne and be a sad lonely kingAnthony Stephen MendesSansa StarkIm really rooting for Sansa Even though people are fans of Jon Snow and Daenerys Sansa has had it toughest Her character has really become something else and I think she will have a big part to playVivek MalhotraThe Night KingGeorge RR Martin has a sadistic way of showing things and he has the habit of making people love even bad characters I wouldnt be surprised if The Night King turns out to be a good guy in the endRishit ChauhanTest your GoTQIts okay if you havent read the books1 In which of the Free Cities was Robb Starks wife Talisa Maegyr raised2 Who was burned alive on Khal Drogos funeral pyre 3 What is the official Lannister motto 4 What was the name of Eddard Starks sword5 Which indie band had a cameo at the Purple WeddingAnswers1 Volantis2 Mirri Maz Duur3 Hear me roar4 Ice5 Sigur RosCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates