Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan has filed a suit before the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights. The matter is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora. The suit has been filed not only against named defendants but also John Does—unknown individuals.
Alleged misuse of personality rights
Roshan has sought legal protection for his name, voice, image, likeness, and various other attributes under the ambit of personality or publicity rights. The actor alleged that third parties have unauthorisedly used his personality for monetary gain, prompting the legal action.
The suit highlights the growing concerns around AI-generated content and the misuse of public figures’ images and voice on digital platforms for commercial or defamatory purposes.
Context and related cases
Justice Arora is also slated to hear a similar case filed by singer Kumar Sanu, where issues regarding morphed videos and profane content circulating on social media were raised. Earlier, the court had directed Meta and Google to explain why URLs containing such content could not be taken down by their Grievance Officers.
Recently, the court has passed orders protecting the personality rights of several public figures, including:
- Journalist Sudhir Chaudhary
- “The Art of Living” founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
- Telugu actor Nagarjuna
- Bollywood actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan
- Film producer Karan Johar
These rulings underline the judiciary’s proactive stance on safeguarding public personalities against AI-generated and misleading content.
Legal implications
The suit reiterates the importance of personality rights in the digital era, where unauthorized use of celebrity images and videos has become prevalent. Legal experts note that such protection allows celebrities to control the commercial use of their image, voice, and likeness and seek remedies against misuse.