Arjun Kapoor Moves Delhi HC Over AI Misuse & Explicit Content; Court Says Not All Content Can Be Restricted

Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights. He reportedly alleged misuse of his identity through AI-generated content, deepfakes, and explicit material circulating online.

The matter was heard on Wednesday (April 29) by Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, with advocate Pravin Anand representing the actor. During the hearing, Kapoor’s counsel highlighted several instances where his images and likeness were allegedly used without consent, including on merchandise and manipulated visuals shared online.

Anand informed the court that some content included morphed images and explicit material involving the actor. He argued that these were not harmless or satirical creations but AI-generated visuals that distort Kapoor’s identity. “Nobody would like that. Not even a common man,” he said, referring to altered images that depicted the actor in unusual and objectionable contexts.

Responding to the concerns, the court made an important observation about public figures and content regulation. Justice Gedela remarked, “Common man doesn't come to court for personality rights. When a person is in public glare, lot of things happen. We can understand if things are disparaging or defamatory. But everything cannot come under that. Otherwise the judgment in DM entertainment will be rendered redundant.”

He further noted that not all content related to public personalities can be restricted unless it crosses into defamatory or derogatory territory. A detailed order on interim relief is expected to be issued after further consideration.

Kapoor’s plea adds to a growing list of similar cases where celebrities have sought legal protection against unauthorised use of their identity. Courts have previously granted such protections to several public figures, including Allu Arjun, Mohanlal, Aniruddhacharya, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar Jubin Nautiyal, Pawan Kalyan, Sunil Gavaskar, Kajol, R Madhavan, and Nagarjuna. Actor Salman Khan has also filed a similar suit.