New Delhi, December 22, 2025
The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim legal protection to Bollywood actor R Madhavan, restraining websites and online platforms from using his name, images, or likeness for commercial purposes without his consent.
The court passed the order to safeguard Madhavan’s personality rights, barring the unauthorized exploitation of his identity for financial gain. The ruling also places strict restrictions on the misuse of the actor’s persona through artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology.
According to news agency PTI, the High Court directed multiple defendants to immediately stop illegally using Madhavan’s name and photographs across digital platforms. The court further ordered the removal of certain obscene and misleading content circulating online.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who heard the matter, stated that a detailed interim order would be issued soon. The court specifically restrained defendants from selling goods and disseminating objectionable content linked to the actor.
Senior Advocate Swati Sukumar, appearing for Madhavan, informed the court that one of the defendants had created a fake trailer for a non-existent film titled ‘Kesari 3’, falsely claiming that the movie starred Madhavan. The trailer allegedly used AI-generated visuals and deepfake content to mislead the public.
She also submitted that the actor had approached social media platforms to take down the infringing content even before filing the lawsuit, highlighting the growing threat posed by AI-driven impersonation.
The case adds to a rising number of legal actions in India aimed at protecting celebrities from the illegal commercial use of their digital identity amid rapid advances in generative AI technology.
On the professional front, R Madhavan is currently seen in ‘Dhurandhar’, a spy-action thriller directed by Aditya Dhar. The film stars Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, and Arjun Rampal, and has already entered the ₹500-crore box office club, emerging as one of the biggest Hindi releases of the year.
