Indian equivalent of 'Harry Potter' reportedly in the works

Shekhar Kapur said that this one’s for those who grew up listening to stories of otherworldly creatures

For those who were desperately waiting on a letter from Hogwarts all their childhood, your wish has been answered – well, to some extent at least! Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur recently disclosed that he is planning to produce a film franchise that is the "Indian equivalent" of the Harry Potter series.

The Mr. India maker believes that Indian audiences are "accustomed to things that are otherworldly," implying that his project would be “quite distinct” from Western films.

Kapur, in conversation with the Times of India, revealed that he’s making something similar to Harry Potter. "I am actually planning a project, which is kind of the Indian Harry Potter. I'm not making Harry Potter. But the Indian equivalent to it, the same genre,” he said.

The filmmaker added that Indians have grown up with stories of otherworldly creatures. “That genre of Harry Potter because I think in India, with the market we have, we are so used to things that are otherworldly. We've grown up with those kinds of stories. I am now developing and probably will make a film franchise like Harry Potter, that comes out of India and not the West.

Kapur also spoke about his previous movie Paani, which he intended to make as an Indian production. He stated that he lost several years of his life at one point and contemplated producing the film in Spanish. Despite this, he wanted the film to be considered an Indian film. He returned to India to direct the film because he felt that Slumdog Millionaire, although successful globally, was not regarded as an Indian movie internationally.

On the work front, Shekhar directed Jemima Khan’s What's Love Got to Do with It, a romantic comedy film. Shabana Azmi, Emma Thompson, Lily James, Shazad Latif, Sajal Aly, Oliver Chris, Asim Chaudhry, Jeff Mirza, Alice Orr-Ewing, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan starred in the film. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and received the Best Comedy award at the Rome Film Fest in October 2022.

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