Jackie Shroff 'thanks' Delhi HC for protecting his personality rights
Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff recently thanked the Delhi High Court for protecting his "personality and publicity rights." Earlier this month, the veteran actor initiated legal proceedings against the unauthorized use of his name, voice, images, and signature phrase "Bhidu." In response, the court issued an order safeguarding these rights. "I am immensely grateful to the judiciary for passing an order that safeguards my personality rights," said Shroff in an official statement.
Shroff highlighted the importance of protecting celebrity rights
Shroff noted that celebrities previously had limited recourse against misuse of their persona. He cited cases involving actors Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor as inspirations for asserting his own rights. "Celebrities wield significant influence, and such abuse can mislead the public regarding a celebrity's association with certain goods or services. The misuse of celebrity personas not only dilutes our brand equity but also misguides the public at large," he said.
'Protects fans from being misled by unscrupulous elements of society'
Further, Shroff lauded the Delhi HC for acknowledging the need to protect celebrities' personality rights, given their wide reach. "This protection extends to all forms of media, including digital platforms, and specifically prohibits the use of AI, deep fakes, GIFs, AI chatbots, and similar technologies to exploit my persona without my explicit permission," the actor added. "It also protects my fans from being misled by unscrupulous elements of society," Shroff stated on a concluding note.
Shroff sought protection for his distinctive attributes
Shroff had sought protection for the names Jackie Shroff, Jackie, Jaggu Dada, and Bhidu. He argued that his attributes cannot be used without his authorization on any platform. Before Shroff, in 2023, the Delhi HC issued a restraining order against the unauthorized use of actor Kapoor's name, image, voice, and other personal attributes, including the "jhakaas" catchphrase, for commercial purposes. Prior to Kapoor, Bachchan had also sought similar legal action from the HC.
Meanwhile, we look at Shroff's upcoming ventures
Work-wise, the 67-year-old actor's most recent appearance was in the comedy-drama movie Mast Mein Rehne Ka, where he starred alongside Neena Gupta. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. He is currently occupied with the upcoming project Baap, which features him alongside Sunny Deol, Mithun Chakraborty, Sanjay Dutt, and Raveena Tandon. Meanwhile, recent reports suggested that he may have joined the Welcome to the Jungle cast post Dutt's unexpected exit.
