Hyderabad: Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff On May 15, 2024, filed a case in the Delhi High Court to defend his rights to his name and likeness. He sued multiple parties at the Delhi High Court for using his voice, image, name, and even his well-known phrase "Bhidu" without his consent. Judge Sanjeev Narula heard the case today, May 14, 2024, and issued summons to the defendants listed in the lawsuit.
The court is scheduled to discuss giving a temporary order tomorrow. The lawsuit claimed that people and organisations are using the actor's name, likeness, and voice for financial advantage. Advocate Pravin Anand, Shroff's attorney, noted that Shroff's rights to his own identity and notoriety are being infringed by this unapproved use.
Anand used earlier court rulings involving other celebrities, such as Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor, to bolster their argument. Anand further revealed that one defendant maintained a restaurant under the trademark "Bhidu," which belongs to Shroff. Some defendants consented to stop using Shroff's voice and images in their products after receiving a warning.
Anand suggested that anyone who was informed in advance but still failed to appear in court should be held legally liable. He also stressed the need for consent before using someone else's personality rights, comparing such misuse to exploitation. He cited cases in which defendants had used Jackie Shroff's likenesses on a range of goods—such as T-shirts, posters, mugs, and more—without the actor's consent. He emphasised that such actions violate well-established legal standards, using Anil Kapoor's case as a precedent.
On the professional front, Shroff was most recently seen in Mast Mein Rehna Ka, wherein he costarred with Neena Gupta. The film was made available on Amazon Prime Video in December 2023. The seasoned actor will next appear on Rohit Shetty's Singham Again. Ajay Devgn, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Tiger Shroff are among the film's star-studded cast members.
