The Delhi High Court recently granted interim protection to actor Varun Dhawan against the unauthorised commercial exploitation of his personality rights, restraining websites, social media accounts and online platforms from using his name, image, voice, likeness or other attributes through technologies such as artificial intelligence, generative AI, machine learning, deepfakes and face-morphing tools. Justice Jyoti Singh passed the order while hearing a suit filed by Dhawan alleging unauthorised use of his identity across booking websites, merchandise platforms and social media channels for commercial gain and disseminating AI-generated content depicting him in objectionable and misleading scenarios. Advocate Sana Raees Khan, who was instrumental in getting the personality rights of Shilpa Shetty protected, stated that the increasing number of Bollywood celebrities seeking legal protection reflects a significant shift in the digital age, as a celebrity’s name, image, voice, likeness, signature style and public persona possess immense commercial value and are vulnerable to unauthorized exploitation, particularly with the rise of AI-generated content, deepfakes and digital impersonation. She added that Indian courts are becoming more receptive to safeguarding these rights, ensuring that fame does not translate into unrestricted public use of a person’s identity.