Shruti Haasan has secured a major legal victory against the misuse of her identity through artificial intelligence. The Bombay High Court granted the actor interim protection from AI-generated deepfakes, morphed images, fake endorsements, and unauthorised merchandise. The court stated that Shruti Haasan had established a “very strong prima facie case” in her favour.
Justice Madhav Jamdar, who heard the matter, noted that the continued spread of such content could cause irreparable harm to Haasan’s goodwill, reputation, and commercial interests. The judge made it clear that monetary compensation alone would not be enough to fix the damage caused by deepfakes.
Court Observes Deepfakes Can Cause Permanent Damage
The Bombay High Court underlined that once deepfake content spreads across the internet, it can be copied and shared endlessly. This makes it nearly impossible to remove completely.
Justice Jamdar observed that the material on record clearly showed that Haasan’s personality rights, publicity rights, and moral rights were being violated through morphed, deepfake, and superimposed content.
“The continuing dissemination of AI-generated deepfakes, manipulated images, chatbots, and other infringing content has caused and continues to cause irreparable injury to the plaintiff’s goodwill, reputation, and commercial interests.”
The court further stated that such injury cannot be adequately compensated by monetary damages alone, as deepfake content can be replicated indefinitely once it is online.
Constitutional Rights Protect Personality and Privacy
The High Court linked the protection of personality and publicity rights to constitutional guarantees. The order referred to Article 19(1)(a) , which covers freedom of speech and expression, and Article 21 , which protects the right to life and personal liberty, including the right to privacy and dignity.
“The plaintiff’s personality rights and publicity rights are protected by Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. The right to life and personal liberty, including the right to privacy, are protected by Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The right to life as contemplated under Article 21 includes the right to live with dignity.”
The bench also noted that morphed, deepfake, and superimposed photographs using Haasan’s identity could violate these constitutional protections.
Haasan Filed Suit Against Multiple Entities
Shruti Haasan approached the Bombay High Court last month seeking protection of her personality and publicity rights. She alleged widespread misuse of her identity through AI-generated content, deepfake videos, fake endorsements, and unauthorised merchandise.
The commercial suit names several Indian and international entities, including social media platforms and unidentified individuals. Among the defendants are Google-owned YouTube, Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, X Corp, and Pinterest. The suit also names Mahalaxmi Arts and Craft Works, which is accused of selling posters featuring Haasan’s name and image on Flipkart without permission.
Haasan’s plea alleged that her name, image, and likeness have been used without consent to create AI-generated content, including videos falsely showing her in romantic relationships with other actors. The suit also raised concerns about fake revealing photographs and sexually explicit videos created using generative AI and deepfake technology.
Some Defendants Failed to Appear in Court
During the proceedings, several respondents did not appear before the court or file their defence despite being given sufficient time. The court had previously granted a last chance to some defendants to respond to the actor’s plea, but they failed to do so.
The court then passed an ad-interim order against them, granting Haasan interim protection against the alleged violations of her personality and publicity rights.
However, lawyers appearing for some of the defendants assured the court that infringing content hosted on their platforms would be removed promptly once they receive legible links from Haasan’s legal team.
Haasan’s Legal Team Sought Permanent Injunction
The actor sought a permanent injunction restraining the unauthorised use of her identity and personality attributes. The suit argues that such content violates her personality, publicity, and moral rights.
Haasan’s legal team also sought directions for the removal of infringing material, disclosure of subscriber details of anonymous infringers, and damages quantified at ₹15 crore.
The suit states that through her work across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and English cinema, as well as music and brand endorsements, Shruti Haasan’s name has acquired significant commercial value.
Related:
Growing Concern Over AI Misuse of Celebrity Identities
The court’s observations come at a time when the unauthorised use of celebrities’ identities through AI-generated images, videos, and chatbots has become a growing concern. For public figures, such content can spread across platforms almost instantly and be replicated indefinitely, making it difficult to contain once it enters the digital ecosystem.
Shruti Haasan, known for her work in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films, has appeared in movies including 3, Gabbar Is Back, Srimanthudu, Singam 3, Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, and Coolie. She has also maintained a balance between acting and her interests in music and independent creative projects.
The case highlights the legal challenges celebrities face in protecting their digital identities. Haasan’s legal battle could set an important precedent for how Indian courts handle AI-generated content that misuses public figures’ images and likenesses.
Also Read: Shruti Haasan Revealed as Fierce Character in Rajinikanth’s Action-Thriller Coolie
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