Chennai, Jan 12 (NationPress) The Madras High Court has provided interim protection to renowned actor Kamal Haasan against the unauthorized commercial exploitation of his personality rights in a John Doe lawsuit. This injunction prohibits the use of his name, image, likeness, or any other characteristics tied to his public persona without consent.

During the proceedings, Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy issued the interim order while considering a plea from Haasan aimed at safeguarding against the sale of merchandise featuring his name or likeness.

The court has barred a Chennai-based company, Neeye Vidai, along with other unidentified individuals, from marketing items such as T-shirts and shirts that exhibit the actor’s image, name, or film titles like “Ulaganayagan,” unless they receive explicit authorization from him.

This restriction will remain effective until the next hearing date.

The court granted this interim relief after determining that Haasan had established a prima facie case.

Senior advocate Satish Parasaran, along with advocate Vijayan Subramanian, represented the plaintiff, arguing that the unauthorized commercial usage of the actor's persona constitutes a blatant violation of his personality and publicity rights.

Accepting their arguments, the judge noted that commercial exploitation without consent cannot be tolerated at this juncture.

Nevertheless, the court clarified that the order does not impede legitimate creative expressions, such as caricatures or satire, as long as they do not lead to commercial misuse of the actor's persona.

In his application, Kamal Haasan highlighted that he is esteemed as one of the greatest and most versatile actors in Indian cinema, recognized for his ability to portray complex roles across various genres, often requiring significant physical and artistic transformations.

He mentioned that he is affectionately called a “cinema encyclopaedia” due to his profound knowledge of and expertise in filmmaking.

The 71-year-old actor informed the court that he has participated in around 250 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada, and Bengali languages, during a prolific career spanning over 65 years.

His list of accolades includes four National Film Awards, 20 Filmfare Awards, 11 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and four Nandi Awards.

He has also received the Kalaimamani Award (1978), Padma Shri (1978), Padma Bhushan (2014), and the Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2016).

Furthermore, the veteran actor noted that he was invited in 2025 to join the Actors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, acknowledging his “indelible contributions to the global filmmaking community.”

He contended that his endorsements carry considerable commercial value and public trust, thus unauthorized use of his persona could deceive consumers.

Following the granting of interim relief, the court instructed Haasan to publish a public notice regarding the order in both an English and a Tamil daily, stressing that the John Doe nature of the suit necessitated widespread dissemination of the injunction.