Actor R Madhavan has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights against AI-generated deepfake content, including a fake trailer of the non-existent film “Kesari 3,” and unauthorized use of his image across digital platforms.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court is hearing a suit filed by actor R. Madhavan seeking protection of his personality rights amid growing concerns over deepfake and AI-generated content misusing his name, image, and likeness. The matter is being heard by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora.
Appearing for the actor, Senior Advocate Swathi Sukumar apprised the Court of multiple instances of unauthorized AI-generated content, including a fake trailer of a non-existent film titled “Kesari 3”, which falsely featured Madhavan. The counsel submitted that such content is misleading, harmful, and violates the actor’s personality and publicity rights.
While several infringing videos and links were taken down following complaints, it was pointed out that YouTube declined to remove certain videos, citing the absence of a copyright violation. This, according to the petitioner, highlights a regulatory gap when it comes to AI-generated impersonation and personality misuse.
The Delhi High Court questioned the inconsistency in content moderation, observing that similar infringing material continues to remain online despite the takedown of other content. The Court also took note of the presence of obscene content involving the actor, which was placed on record during the proceedings.
Justice Arora’s observations reflect increasing judicial concern over how digital platforms are responding to deepfake abuse and identity exploitation, especially involving public figures.
In addition to online videos, the Court was informed that unauthorized merchandise bearing R. Madhavan’s image and persona is being commercially sold without consent. Such acts, the petitioner argued, amount to a clear violation of personality and publicity rights under Indian law.
The Court was further informed that Meta (Facebook and Instagram) has not taken down several flagged links despite complaints. Counsel appearing for Meta sought and was granted a passover to examine the issue and respond to the allegations.
Case Title:
RANGANTHAN MADHAVAN V/s G FIMLZ STUDIOZ & ORS.
CS(COMM)- 1392/2025
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