After actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of her personality rights over misuse of her images tampered by AI, actor and husband Abhishek Bachchan too has moved the court seeking to protect his personality rights.
Abhishek Bachchan has filed a petition against the website Bollywood Tee Shop, which sells T-shirts of Bollywood celebrities. The plea includes detailed descriptions and images of the actor that have been allegedly misused by the website.
The suit is filed under provisions of the Trademarks Act 1999 and Copyright Act 1957 and under Common law. Abhishek Bachchan has sought injunctions to block the website and other alleged offenders. He also requested that all online website links using his ‘personality’ without his permission be removed from the Internet.
This reflects a growing trend of celebrities turning to courts to secure their identity rights. Personality rights allow individuals to safeguard their identity in the context of privacy and property rights.
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‘Jhakass’, ‘Bhidu’
In similar cases, previous Delhi High Court rulings have protected Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff. The court granted an interim ex parte injunction in favour of Bachchan in a suit filed by him for protection of his publicity rights against the fake Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) lottery scam and other online frauds where his photo and voice are being misused to deceive the public.
In 2023, the court protected Anil Kapoor’s iconic phrase ‘jhakaas”. Last year, the Delhi high court barred unauthorized use of Jackie Shroff’s catchphrase ‘bhidu’ and his nicknames Jackie” and “Jaggu Dada,”. In both cases, commercial exploitation of their names, voices, and images was prohibited without consent.
In the case of Aishwarya Rai, the petition was filed against aishwaryaworld.com and other infringers. It argued that the unauthorised use of her persona is part of a wider trend of online fraud exploiting celebrities’ identities.
On Tuesday, the hearing was adjourned till January 2026, but the court is likely to grant interim injunctions against infringers. Justice Tejas Karia said a detailed written order would be issued restraining the infringements and protecting Rai’s rights.
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The AI image
Abhishek Bachchan’s name, voice, image or photographic likeness, unique style of dialogue delivery and signature are sought to be protected under personality rights.
In one AI-generated image cited as an example in the petition, the actor is shown grimacing, holding a plate of biryani, while Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan sit at a table eating together.
In another, a screengrab from a YouTube video of Bachchan shows him standing next to actor and dancer Nora Fatehi.
“The activities of the defendants also violate the moral rights of the plaintiff by distorting his image in a manner in which is prejudicial to his reputation. Further, such activities dilute the persona and identity of the plaintiff by the gradual whittling away of its distinctiveness and tarnishing his image when used in an unsavoury manner,” read the petition.
The Department of Technology and Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have also been named as proforma defendants in the case, to facilitate implementation of the court’s directives.
Bachchan was represented by Advocates Pravin Anand, Ameet Naik, Madhu Gadodia, Dhruv Anand and Udita Patro. The matter is next listed on 15 January 2026. Pravin Anand was also part of the legal team in the pleas filed by Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor.