Madras High Court Grants Interim Protection to Kamal Haasan Against Unauthorised Commercial Use of His Persona

Chennai, Jan 2026 : The Madras High Court on Monday granted interim relief to veteran actor Kamal Haasan in a John Doe suit, restraining the unauthorised commercial exploitation of his personality rights, including the use of his name, image, likeness and other attributes closely associated with his public persona. The order is aimed at protecting the actor from the sale of merchandise that uses his identity without consent.

Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the interim injunction while hearing a plea filed by Kamal Haasan seeking legal protection against entities selling products bearing his name or image without authorisation. The court specifically restrained a Chennai-based firm, Neeye Vidai, along with several unidentified individuals and entities, from manufacturing or selling merchandise such as T-shirts and shirts featuring the actor’s photograph, name or popular screen titles, including “Ulaganayagan”, unless expressly authorised or endorsed by him.

The interim restraint will remain in force until the next date of hearing. The court granted the relief after being satisfied that the actor had established a strong prima facie case warranting protection at this stage.

Senior counsel Satish Parasaran, assisted by advocate Vijayan Subramanian, appeared on behalf of Kamal Haasan and argued that the unauthorised commercial exploitation of the actor’s persona amounted to a clear violation of his personality and publicity rights. The counsel submitted that such misuse not only diluted the actor’s carefully built reputation but also misled consumers into believing that the products were officially endorsed.

Accepting the submissions, Justice Ramamoorthy observed that commercial exploitation of a well-known personality’s image or identity without consent could not be permitted, particularly when it was being done for profit. However, the court clarified that the interim order would not restrict legitimate creative expressions such as caricatures, satire or other permissible artistic works, provided they did not cross into the realm of commercial misuse.

In his plaint, Kamal Haasan stated that he is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most versatile actors in Indian cinema, celebrated for portraying complex and diverse roles across genres. He highlighted that his performances often involved significant physical, emotional and artistic transformations, earning him a reputation as a “cinema encyclopaedia” due to his deep understanding of various aspects of filmmaking.

The 71-year-old actor informed the court that he has acted in approximately 250 films across multiple languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali, during a career spanning over 65 years. His achievements include four National Film Awards, 20 Filmfare Awards, 11 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and four Nandi Awards.

He has also received several prestigious honours, such as the Kalaimamani Award in 1978, the Padma Shri in 1978, the Padma Bhushan in 2014, and France’s Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2016. The actor further pointed out that in 2025, he was invited to become a member of the Actors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, recognising his “indelible contributions to the global filmmaking community”.

Kamal Haasan argued that his endorsements carry substantial commercial value and public trust, and that unauthorised use of his persona could deceive consumers and cause irreparable harm. After granting interim relief, the court directed him to issue a public notice about the injunction in one English and one Tamil daily, noting that the John Doe nature of the suit required wide dissemination of the order.

Team Maverick.