Beyond Script: Movie stars fight AI abuse to reclaim themselves

Mumbai, Oct 19 (PTI) In a digital landscape increasingly distorted by AI-generated deception, India’s top film stars are rushing to courts to reclaim ownership of their most valuable asset – “themselves”. A growing list of Bollywood artists, including Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan, are filing lawsuits to enforce their “personality rights”. This legal approach is a direct response to the alarming rise in sophisticated AI-driven deep fakes and the unauthorized commercial use of their images, voices and photos. For these actors, the threat goes beyond simple advertising without permission. As technology makes it easier to create hyper-realistic, yet entirely fabricated, images and videos, the potential for reputational damage has become “truly worrisome”, a point recently underlined by the Bombay High Court while granting protection to actors Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty. “More than misuse for commercial purposes, what is more alarming and threatening is fake images and content,” advocate Janay Jain, who represented a group of celebrities in the Bombay High Court, told PTI. “Such content causes serious damage to the person’s reputation and image,” says Jain. Personality rights grant an individual legal control over the commercial and public use of their identity – their name, image, voice, signature or any other distinguishing characteristic easily recognized by the public. Abuse can range from fake endorsements and unauthorized merchandise to the most insidious threat – malicious AI-generated deepfakes. While India does not have a specific, codified law on personality rights, courts are tightening and broadening the definition of the fundamental right to privacy by issuing injunctions and restricting the misuse of an artist’s persona without the necessary consent. “What we are witnessing now is not just a trend but a necessary evolution where artists are finally asserting control over their personality,” said advocate Sana Raees Khan, who appeared for singer Kumar Sanu. “They know that their identity is their property and right,” Khan noted. The lawyer said that celebrities, fueled by the rise of digital media, are now more aware of the legal and commercial value of their identity. This wave of litigation is about setting boundaries and ensuring that the public image, earned through years of grueling work, is not exploited by others for profit, Khan added. “The right to publicity and right to personality are extensions of an individual’s right to privacy guaranteed under the Constitution of India,” Khan said, adding that a person has exclusive control over the commercial use of their name, image, voice and other distinctive features of their identity. The battle for personality rights is not entirely new, says Jain, referring to a 2001 case filed by famous Punjabi singer Daler Mehendi and superstar Rajnikanth in 2015. In 2001, Mehendi filed a case in the Delhi High Court against dolls imitating his flamboyant image or being marketed without his consent. In 2015, Rajnikanth filed a case in the Madras High Court against the makers of the movie ‘Main hoon Rajinikanth’, claiming that the use of his name infringed on his personality rights. However, the recent rush of court action has been aggressive and comprehensive, protecting highly specific and distinctive features, which include Amitabh Bachchan’s famous “Computer ji and lock kiya jaye” catchphrase from ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ TV show, Anil Kapoor’s signature “Jhakaas” or Jackie Shroff’s word. The high courts have also protected the personality rights of veteran singer Asha Bhosle and singer Arijit Singh from unauthorized use on social media and AI platforms in recent decisions. As the age of technology becomes ever more adept at blurring the lines between fact and fiction, India’s stars are making one thing abundantly clear: their image is their own, and they’re taking the law to make sure they’re the sole owners of their own persona.