Shilpa Shetty alleges AI-enabled impersonation and misuse of likeness
Actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra filed a suit in Bombay High Court against 28 defendants, including e-commerce platforms and tech giants, alleging unauthorized use of her name, image, voice and likeness through AI tools to create deepfakes and sell products falsely implied to be endorsed by her. She seeks injunctions, content takedowns and damages of ₹5 lakh.
What happened
Shilpa Shetty Kundra filed a suit in Bombay High Court in November 2025 against 28 defendants, including e-commerce platforms Amazon and Flipkart, social media companies Meta, Google and X Corp, and unnamed AI platforms, alleging rampant misuse of her identity through artificial intelligence tools.
The petition alleges that AI-driven tools have created deepfake videos and voice clones portraying her in obscene, indecent and defamatory contexts. Other violations cited include unauthorized sale of merchandise falsely implying her endorsement, such as "Shilpa Shetty Yellow Saree" and "Fear Less -- Shilpa Shetty Celebrity T-shirt," manipulated visuals circulating on Reddit and other platforms, and an event titled "Shilpa Shetty Award Show -- Client Promotion Packages" advertised without consent.
Reported impact
Shetty argues that inferior quality goods and defamatory content debase her persona and mislead the public. She claims violations have continued daily across platforms since discovering the misuse in November 2025.
Index analysis
The petition alleges infringement of her personality rights under Articles 19 and 21 of the Indian Constitution, moral rights under Sections 38, 38A and 38B of the Copyright Act, and passing off under common law.
Governance controls
Shetty sought the appointment of a court receiver to seize infringing merchandise and electronic data, and directions to government agencies to enforce removal of unlawful content. She also requested dynamic injunctions to block future infringing content and mirror websites, and John Doe orders to restrain unidentified wrongdoers.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.