Hari Puttar? Warner Bros. Sues Over Bollywood Flick

Bollywood producers deny Hari Puttar cribs steals from wizarding juggernaut
By Drew Nelles,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 26, 2008 5:03 PM CDT
Hari Puttar? Warner Bros. Sues Over Bollywood Flick
While Bollywood films often borrow liberally from Western movies, producers of "Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors" say their movie bears no resemblance to any film in the Harry Potter series.    (AP Photo)

The newest Harry Potter adventure doesn’t see the young hero once again battle Voldemort—instead, the Times of London reports, it’s Hollywood vs. Bollywood. Warner Bros. is suing the Indian producer of Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors, alleging it too closely resembles JK Rowling’s wizard tales. The Indian version features a child who must save the world from a crime boss.

The makers of Hari Puttar dismiss accusations of plagiarism: Hari is a popular Indian boy’s name, and Puttar means “son” in Punjabi. “Personally, I cannot see any resemblance between the names,” an executive says. The lawsuit threatens to derail the release of the hotly anticipated movie, and will pit Warner Bros. against one of India’s biggest media companies. (More Bollywood stories.)

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