The Harry Potter film series, which is based on the same-named book by British author J.K. Rowling, has a devoted fanbase all over the world. The franchise is also very well-liked in India, where an entire generation refers to themselves as “Potterheads.”
Although the franchise’s final installment was released in 2011, interest in it has not yet decreased. Few people are aware, however, that a puja committee in Kolkata went above and beyond by building a puja pandal inspired by the well-known fantasy film series. Even worse, the committee got into problems over it.
In what can only be described as an odd sequence of events, the Durga Pujo committee in Kolkata built a sizable edifice in the shape of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry back in 2007. Interestingly, a figure of the Goddess Durga stabbed the demon while seated on a lion within the pandal, according to Reuters. Even life-sized models of the bespectacled Potter and his friends were planned by the event’s organizers.
The team for British author J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers, who manage the series’ rights in India, filed a lawsuit against the community organization in Kolkata for violating copyright. They even demanded reimbursement from the group members in the amount of 2 million rupees ($50,000).
It’s also important to note that the building that served as a model for Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry was thought to have cost $30,000. The building was almost finished, and a mock Hogwarts Express steam engine train was being built just next to it.
News Mania Desk
