Akshay Kumar Files Suit to Protect His Likeness as Bollywood Confronts the AI Era

Akshay Kumar moves to court to protect his personality rights

Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court asserting control over his image, voice, and digital likeness—a landmark move in India’s escalating battle over AI-generated celebrity content. The case follows similar filings by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, and filmmaker Karan Johar, all seeking to define legal boundaries around what fans and platforms can do with a celebrity’s persona.

At issue is the explosion of AI-generated videos and audio snippets mimicking major Indian stars. Clips featuring Kumar’s synthesized voice have circulated on social platforms promoting products and fan edits without authorization. His legal team argues that such use violates his “personality rights”, which encompass image, likeness, and reputation under Indian tort law.

The petition comes as India’s entertainment industry undergoes a digital transformation. With more than 1,500 films produced annually and a booming streaming market, AI tools are increasingly used for dubbing, restoration, and fan content. But the same accessibility that enables creative remixing also enables impersonation. Industry lawyers say the country’s outdated copyright laws, written decades before synthetic media, are ill-equipped to handle today’s generative tools.

Kumar’s filing seeks an injunction to prevent any person or platform from using his face, voice, or likeness—real or synthetic—without explicit permission. If successful, it could set precedent for a broader framework governing digital identity in India. Legal experts say the courts may look to U.S. “right of publicity” statutes or the EU’s GDPR-based personality protections as models.

The move also has economic weight. India’s celebrity-endorsement market is valued at $2.5 billion annually, with AI-manipulated ads threatening to undercut that business. Unauthorized replicas blur the line between satire and fraud, and advertisers risk reputational damage if audiences believe an AI-generated endorsement is real.

For Bollywood, this is both a legal and moral test. If actors can’t control their digital selves, studios risk alienating the very talent that fuels their global reach. The case’s outcome will influence future contracts, which are already being rewritten to include AI consent clauses.

Kumar’s petition underscores how fast generative technology is outpacing regulation. From Mumbai to Los Angeles, the battle over digital doubles is becoming the entertainment industry’s defining legal drama—one where personality itself has become IP.