Kumar Sanu Sues to Protect His Iconic Voice and Persona

In a move to protect his iconic status, renowned Bollywood singer Kumar Sanu has approached the Delhi High Court seeking legal safeguards for his personality and publicity rights. Sanu's plea, filed on October 10th, 2025, aims to prevent the unauthorized use and commercial exploitation of his name, voice, vocal style, and technique by third parties.

The singer alleges that various GIFs, audio, and video recordings containing his performances are being used in ways that bring disrepute to him and make him a subject of "unsavoury humour," thereby violating his moral rights. Sanu is also aggrieved by content made using artificial intelligence (AI) to clone his voice, vocal style, and mannerisms, as well as the morphing of his face for merchandise.

Sanu's case is the latest in a series of high-profile legal battles by Bollywood celebrities to protect their personality rights. Recently, actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, filmmaker Karan Johar, and others have also approached the court seeking similar relief.

The right to publicity, also known as personality rights, is the legal right to control and profit from one's image, name, or likeness. Sanu's lawsuit aims to establish clear boundaries and safeguards around the commercial exploitation of his artistic identity, which he believes has been violated by various unauthorized uses.