“Hari Puttar” Too Close to “Harry Potter”?

Warner Bros is sueing an Indian studio, Mirchi Movies, over a film “Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors” whose title it believes is too close to that of its hugely successful Harry Potter series.

“Hari Puttar” is a comedy about a 10-year-old Indian boy whose family moves to England. Hari is an Indian name and “puttar” means “son” in the Punjabi language.

“Since the case is sub-judice, we can’t comment as of now,” Mirchi Movies CEO Munish Purii said. “However, we registered the Hari Puttar title in 2005, and it’s unfortunate that Warner has chosen to file a case so close to our film’s release. In my opinion, I don’t think our title has any similarity or links with Harry Potter.”

The case is due to hit the Bombay high court on August 25.