Veteran film and television performer Rakesh Bedi has approached the Delhi High Court seeking legal protection for his personality and publicity rights. His petition came up before Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani on Wednesday, September 23. Following a formal mentioning before the court, the matter was marked for transfer to a specialized bench handling proceedings under the Intellectual Property Division.
A Distinguished Career Spanning Over Five Decades
Rakesh Bedi represents one of the most recognizable faces in Indian entertainment, having worked in over 150 feature films alongside dozens of stage productions and prominent television series since the 1970s. Audiences widely celebrate his comedic craft in iconic comedy movies such as Chashme Buddoor and Mera Damad. He also earned considerable critical acclaim for his portrayal of Jameel Jamali in the espionage action-thriller film Dhurandhar.
His footprint across Indian television remains equally monumental. Bedi featured prominently in landmark classic and contemporary shows, including Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Shrimaan Shrimati, Yes Boss, Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!, and the enduring sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. Having spent decades in front of the camera, his likeness, unique delivery style, and voice are deeply embedded in popular culture.
Celebrities Across Fields Turn to Courts Amid AI Concerns
The petition arrives at a juncture when creative professionals and public figures increasingly voice alarm over the unauthorized digital cloning, impersonation, and synthetic misuse of their persona using AI tools. The Delhi High Court has progressively granted protective relief across multiple domains to safeguard proprietary likenesses. Prominent figures granted personality rights protection include actor Tabu, cricketers Abhishek Sharma and Yuvraj Singh, Congress politician Shashi Tharoor, and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.
The judiciary has also stepped in to protect entrepreneur Aman Gupta, Telugu actor Allu Arjun, Malayalam cinema icon Mohanlal, spiritual orator Aniruddhacharya, singer Jubin Nautiyal, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, as well as actors Kajol Devgan, R Madhavan, and Jr NTR. Film star Salman Khan has similarly approached the judiciary with a lawsuit seeking identical safeguards for his image and commercial rights.
Broad Legal Shield Covering Creators and Public Figures
Other benches of the high court have extended explicit publicity protection orders to The Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Telugu star Nagarjuna, actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, and filmmaker Karan Johar. The protections ensure third parties cannot commercially exploit or misrepresent their voice, image, or identity without consent.
The scope of relief has extended beyond conventional cinema figures to digital media and journalism. Relief was granted to journalist Sudhir Chaudhary concerning the circulation of allegedly misleading AI-generated video content published across social media networks. Furthermore, the court issued John Doe injunction orders protecting podcaster Raj Shamani, explicitly recognizing his standing as a well-known personality in India's growing content creation industry.
