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EYE ON BOLLYWOOD OCTOBER 10, 2025 | The Indian Eye 44
Bollywood vs. AI: Stars Battle Deepfakes
and Identity Theft in the Digital Age
As artificial intelligence blurs the line between reality and fabrication, India’s biggest film stars
are pushing back in courtrooms, raising urgent questions about the future of Bollywood.
OUR BUREAU nology’s speed. In the time it takes to file a lawsuit,
thousands of AI-generated clips can proliferate
Mumbai
across YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram. Channels
n an industry built on glamour, mystique and like “AI Bollywood Ishq,” which has clocked over
carefully cultivated star personas, Bollywood’s 16 million views, show how quickly synthetic videos
Ibiggest names are finding themselves in an un- can find an audience.
likely battle—against artificial intelligence. Deep- In one, Aishwarya Rai is seen in a pool with
fake technology, capable of cloning voices and Salman Khan—her ex-partner—while Abhishek
generating hyper-realistic images, is now threat- fumes in the background. All of it generated by a
ening the very identities of actors who once relied few text prompts.
on their aura to command box office power and
endorsement deals. THE INDUSTRY’S FEARS
This new frontier is proving especially disrup-
tive in India, where Bollywood is both a cultural or Bollywood, AI poses both reputational
touchstone and a multi-billion-dollar industry. For and commercial threats. Stars who charge
decades, stars have fought off unauthorised post- Fmillions to endorse luxury brands fear that
ers, fake merchandise and gossip magazines. But deepfake ads could dilute their market value. Di-
today, the threat is more existential. AI-generated rectors and producers worry that AI-generated
content—whether it is a manipulated video, an ar- “fake trailers” or re-imagined movie scenes could
tificial voice clone, or an AI “love story” featuring confuse audiences and impact box office earnings.
famous couples—risks eroding reputations and re- There’s also a cultural dimension. Bollywood
shaping the entertainment economy in ways that thrives on stardom—the larger-than-life personas
legal frameworks in India are only beginning to of actors who are adored by fans and trusted by
grasp. advertisers. If AI can fabricate a romance, feud
or scandal at will, the industry risks losing control
THE BACHCHANS VS. YOUTUBE over the very narratives that sustain its power.
The industry’s response so far has been two-
eading the charge are Abhishek Bachchan fold: legal action and lobbying for stronger regu-
and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, one of India’s Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is among the actors who have gone lation. Stars like the Bachchans, Anil Kapoor and
Lmost recognisable celebrity couples. In Sep- to court, demanding the removal of AI-generated videos that Jackie Shroff are asserting their personality rights
tember, the duo filed a lawsuit against Google’s in court, while filmmakers like Karan Johar have
YouTube, demanding the removal of AI-generat- use their likeness without consent (ANI file photo) joined calls for India to introduce statutory protec-
ed videos that use their likeness without consent. tions similar to those in the US or Germany.
Their legal filings accuse YouTube not only of host- realizes its survival in the AI era may depend on
ing “egregious” and “sexually explicit” deepfakes legal protection. THE FUTURE OF BOLLYWOOD
but also of potentially allowing such videos to be
used for training other AI models. PERSONALITY RIGHTS he rise of AI poses an uncomfortable ques-
The couple’s petition extends beyond individ- tion: if technology can generate new “per-
ual grievances: they want safeguards ensuring You- nlike Hollywood, where statutory laws on Tformances” of beloved stars, will the indus-
Tube videos cannot be weaponised by AI develop- publicity rights give celebrities significant try still need flesh-and-blood actors? While that
ers, setting a precedent that could reshape global Ucontrol over their likeness, India lacks a dystopian scenario is still distant, AI is already en-
platform policies. For Bollywood, the stakes are dedicated legal framework. Instead, judges rely on croaching on creative territory. Generative mod-
monumental. If deepfakes of A-list stars circulate common law principles and constitutional protec- els can write scripts, compose music, and create
unchecked, their carefully controlled public perso- tions around privacy. entire scenes in minutes—tasks that traditionally
nas—often the basis of lucrative endorsements— This makes enforcement inconsistent. Courts required hundreds of workers.
could lose credibility. can order takedowns of deepfake videos or unau- As Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan’s
The Bachchans’ concerns are far from isolat- thorised merchandise, but compensation remains lawsuit makes its way through Delhi’s courts, it
ed. Last year, veteran actor Anil Kapoor success- rare and reputational damage is often irreversible. may serve as a litmus test for how India will bal-
fully blocked the misuse of his image, voice, and As lawyer Dhruv Anand notes, “The lack of cod- ance the promises of AI innovation with the rights
even his famous catchphrase “jhakaas.” Actor ified personality rights means celebrities have to of its most bankable cultural figures.
Jackie Shroff followed suit, with the Delhi High navigate a patchwork of copyright, trademark, and For Bollywood, the outcome could determine
Court recognizing his rights over his nicknames constitutional laws. By the time a ruling comes, the whether its stars remain the untouchable icons
and mannerisms. What was once a trickle of such harm is usually already done.” they have always been—or become just another
cases is rapidly becoming a flood, as Bollywood The ambiguity is further complicated by tech- dataset in the age of machines.
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