Delhi High Court Halts AI-Generated Deepfake Film Using Akira Nandan's Likeness
The Delhi High Court issued an injunction restraining the broadcast of an AI-generated film titled "AI Love Story" that used the likeness of Akira Nandan, son of Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, without consent. The court ordered removal of the content from social media platforms and directed studios to cease creating or distributing such deepfake material.
What happened
The Delhi High Court passed an ex parte ad interim injunction restraining the broadcast of an AI-generated film titled 'AI Love Story' that used Akira Nandan's identity without consent.
The film had been uploaded on YouTube in multiple versions, with the Telugu version receiving 1,109,255 views and the English version receiving 24,354 views as of January 22, 2026.
The court directed Sambhawaami Studios LLP and other unidentified entities to immediately stop creating, publishing or sharing any AI-generated or deepfake content using Akira Nandan's name, image or likeness without consent.
Reported impact
Akira Nandan, aged 21, alleged large-scale violation of his personality, publicity and privacy rights through the creation of a full-length film portraying him as the lead character without authorisation.
Index analysis
The rapid and widespread online circulation of the content was underscored by the court, noting the multiple versions and viewership figures as evidence of the scope of the alleged infringement.
Governance controls
The High Court ordered social media intermediaries, including Meta Platforms, to take down the infringing URLs and to disclose relevant account details and IP addresses of the alleged infringers within timelines prescribed by the court.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.