Shashi Tharoor moves HC over personality rights: Other Indian celebrities who’ve joined the trend | In Pics
Shashi Tharoor has approached the Delhi HC seeking protection of his personality rights. While it seems peculiar, turns out Tharoor isn't the only public personality to do so. He joins a long list of actors, politicians and other notable figures who have secured protection over their persona.
Tharoor alleges misuse of personality
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has moved the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights, alleging misuse of his name, likeness and personality. He has reportedly sought the removal of deepfakes and AI-morphed content. Tharoor adds to the growing number of public figures who have sought legal protection for their personality and public rights.
Shark Tank judge Aman Gupta
On 7 May, the same day that Tharoor approached the court, Delhi HC said it will pass an interim order protecting the personality of boAt co-founder and Shark Tank India judge Aman Gupta. Gupta sought to restrain commercial exploitation of his name and registered trademark, “Hum bhi bana lenge”.
Iconic “Khamosh” dialogue legally protected
Notable names in politics have been given protection over their persona in 2026 itself. Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha was granted an injunction by the Bombay HC, recognising his name, voice and the iconic dialogue “Khamosh” as exclusive intellectual property. Pawan Kalyan, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor, secured protection over his voice, image and name, including aliases like “Power Star” and “PSPK”.
Superstars Rajnikanth, Amitabh
Rajinikanth was one of the first actors in India to get commercial rights over his personality traits, including name, image, caricature and style. Amitabh Bachchan was also granted an injunction in 2022 protecting his name, including “Big B”, voice and likeness.
Other Bollywood film stars on the list
Anil Kapoor has also secured protection against unauthorised use of his “Jhakaas” catchphrase, mannerisms and likeness. Jackie Shroff holds the rights to his nickname “Bhidu”. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Kajol, Karan Johar, R Madhavan and Nagarjuna are other names in the film industry who have sought protection of their personality rights.
Spiritual guru Ravi Shankar
The “Art of Living” Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s name, image, manner of speech and persona are protected by the court. The order was prompted by AI-generated videos of him surfacing on social media platforms, promoting alleged Ayurvedic remedies for serious health conditions.
“Baap Ki Adalat”: Journalists join the trend
Even journalists have their personas protected against unauthorised misuse. Misleading content using DD News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary’s name, image and voice was ordered to be removed from social media platforms by the Delhi HC. Journalist Rajat Sharma and his channel, IndiaTV, secured an interim injunction protecting publicity rights and trademarks. The ruling also prevented the use of marks similar to “Aap Ki Adalat”, such as “Baap Ki Adalat".
)
)
)
)
)