Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra has taken a significant legal step by approaching the Bombay High Court to seek protection for her personality and publicity rights. This move places her among a growing list of Indian celebrities fighting against the unauthorized commercial use of their identity.
What the Petition Seeks to Protect
Filed on November 26, 2025, the petition aims to safeguard all attributes that are uniquely associated with the actor. Shetty has sought to protect her name, voice, image, likeness, and signature from being exploited without her consent. The legal action highlights a critical issue in the digital age, where personal attributes can be easily misappropriated.
The petition, filed through her lawyer Sana Raees Khan, argues that Shetty's personality rights have been violated by various entities. It specifically points to the use of Artificial Intelligence to clone her voice, vocal style, and technique. Furthermore, it cites the proliferation of morphed images, deepfakes, and digitally manipulated content used in videos, posters, and merchandise.
Defendants and Alleged Violations
Shetty has named a wide array of defendants in her suit, including businesses based in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Surat, and New Delhi. The list also encompasses AI companies and several social media platforms, which are alleged to be conduits for the infringing content.
The legal document states that the defendants have generated revenues by using her identity, often in a manner that "brings disrepute" and subjects her to "unsavoury humour". This, the plea asserts, constitutes a clear violation of her moral rights. Shetty's career, spanning several decades, has established what the petition describes as 'exceptional goodwill', bolstered by her advocacy for mental health, yoga, environmental sustainability, and child welfare.
Legal Remedies Sought
In her plea, Shilpa Shetty has requested the court for several key remedies. She has sought an order to restrain the defendants from using her images and other attributes to pass off goods and services as being endorsed by her.
Additionally, she has demanded that all infringing content be taken down, removed, or blocked immediately. The actor has also claimed damages of Rs 5 lakh from some of the named defendants for the unauthorized exploitation of her personality.
This case joins similar legal battles undertaken by other prominent figures like Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, and Karan Johar, signaling a firm industry stance against the digital misuse of celebrity identity.
