With the growing use of artificial intelligence and fake images of celebs being circulated online, several celebs, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Kajol, Ajay Devgn, Akshay
Kumar, Salman Khan and others, have gotten protection on their personality rights, including their name, personality and likeness. The recent celeb who has approached the court is legendary actor Shatrughan Sinha, who has now claimed copyright over his famous dialogue, “Khamosh.”
Shatrughan Sinha and the dialogue “Khamosh” have been synonymous for decades and, in its order, the High Court observed, “It needs no reinforcement that the expression ‘Khamosh’, which was delivered by the Plaintiff (Sinha) in his unique and distinct style in one of his films, is associated exclusively with the Plaintiff’s persona.”
Now, after getting the order in his favour, Sinha has reacted to the court’s decision. While speaking to Variety, the actor said, “For decades and decades, ‘Khamosh’ has been associated with me. Countless impersonators have mimicked me and made money. I don’t grudge them their livelihood. But my family and friends felt that I should exercise my personality rights. Do your own thing. Be original. Don’t copy me, Anil Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan or Asha Bhosle.”
About Shatrughan Sinha’s case and court’s verdict
Veteran actor and Lok Sabha MP Shatrughan Sinha approached the Bombay High Court seeking legal protection over his personality rights, including his widely recognised catchphrase “Khamosh.”
The interim relief was granted by Justice Sharmila Deshmukh on February 16 in response to a petition filed by the actor. The detailed copy of the order was made available on February 21. The court directed websites and social media platforms to immediately remove unauthorised content featuring Sinha’s name, image, voice or signature dialogue. It further restrained individuals and entities from uploading similar material in the future without his consent.
Singers such as Kumar Sanu and Daler Mehndi have also sought court protection against AI misuse and unauthorised commercial exploitation, while actors including Nagarjuna and Asha Bhosle have obtained interim relief in comparable matters.
What Are Personality Rights?
Personality rights refer to an individual’s legal entitlement to control the commercial and public use of their identity. They safeguard attributes that are uniquely linked to a person, such as their name, image, likeness, voice, signature, or even trademark catchphrases, from being exploited without consent.
These rights are often broken into two branches – the Right of Publicity and the Right to Privacy. The former protects against unauthorised commercial exploitation, such as using a celebrity’s face in advertisements. On the other hand, the Right to Privacy guards against intrusion into personal dignity, covering misuse through deepfakes, morphed images, fabricated endorsements, or intimate doctored content.
