Bollywood actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan have approached the Delhi High Court with lawsuits against YouTube and its parent company Google, alleging the circulation of explicit and manipulated deepfake videos. The legal action follows a recent interim injunction granted by the court, which prohibited the misuse of Aishwarya Rai’s name, images, and likeness, including through artificial intelligence tools.
According to a Reuters report, the star couple is demanding $450,000 (around Rs 4 crore) in damages and seeking a permanent order to prevent YouTube from hosting or monetising any content that uses their likeness, voices, or names in AI-generated material. They argued in their September 6 petition that such manipulated videos not only spread misinformation but also risk being used to train AI models, amplifying the chances of repeated infringement.
Nature of the deepfake content
The 1,500-page filing highlights several instances of manipulated videos circulating online. These include clips of Abhishek Bachchan digitally altered to show him kissing an actress, and others where Aishwarya Rai appears alongside her former co-star Salman Khan, portrayed in romantic scenarios while Abhishek looks on with anger. One widely viewed video depicts Aishwarya and Salman in a swimming pool, which has reportedly garnered over 4.1 million views.
The couple also pointed out a YouTube channel called AI Bollywood Ishq, which features more than 259 AI-generated videos under the theme of Bollywood “love stories.” Collectively, the channel has gained over 16.5 million views, raising concerns about the scale of such content.
The petition stresses that allowing such manipulated videos to remain online risks their misuse for artificial intelligence training. The actors noted that once uploaded and viewed, such content could be further replicated across platforms, making it nearly impossible to contain.
Beyond videos: Unauthorized merchandise
Apart from videos, the lawsuit also targets sellers who allegedly used the couple’s images on unauthorised merchandise. Items like posters, mugs, stickers, and fake autographed photographs were cited as examples of misuse that infringes on their personality and publicity rights.
The Delhi High Court has directed Google’s legal team to submit written replies to the allegations. The matter is scheduled to come up for its next hearing on January 15, 2026. Until then, the injunction continues to shield Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s personality rights, preventing further exploitation of her identity through AI or digital manipulation.
According to a Reuters report, the star couple is demanding $450,000 (around Rs 4 crore) in damages and seeking a permanent order to prevent YouTube from hosting or monetising any content that uses their likeness, voices, or names in AI-generated material. They argued in their September 6 petition that such manipulated videos not only spread misinformation but also risk being used to train AI models, amplifying the chances of repeated infringement.
Nature of the deepfake content
The 1,500-page filing highlights several instances of manipulated videos circulating online. These include clips of Abhishek Bachchan digitally altered to show him kissing an actress, and others where Aishwarya Rai appears alongside her former co-star Salman Khan, portrayed in romantic scenarios while Abhishek looks on with anger. One widely viewed video depicts Aishwarya and Salman in a swimming pool, which has reportedly garnered over 4.1 million views.
The couple also pointed out a YouTube channel called AI Bollywood Ishq, which features more than 259 AI-generated videos under the theme of Bollywood “love stories.” Collectively, the channel has gained over 16.5 million views, raising concerns about the scale of such content.
The petition stresses that allowing such manipulated videos to remain online risks their misuse for artificial intelligence training. The actors noted that once uploaded and viewed, such content could be further replicated across platforms, making it nearly impossible to contain.
Beyond videos: Unauthorized merchandise
Apart from videos, the lawsuit also targets sellers who allegedly used the couple’s images on unauthorised merchandise. Items like posters, mugs, stickers, and fake autographed photographs were cited as examples of misuse that infringes on their personality and publicity rights.
The Delhi High Court has directed Google’s legal team to submit written replies to the allegations. The matter is scheduled to come up for its next hearing on January 15, 2026. Until then, the injunction continues to shield Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s personality rights, preventing further exploitation of her identity through AI or digital manipulation.
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