Delhi High Court Orders ‘Kala Hiran’ Teaser Removed on Salman Khan’s Plea; Cites Personality Rights

In a significant ruling on personality rights, the Delhi High Court has directed the makers of the upcoming film Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legal to remove its teaser and related promotional posts from online platforms after Salman Khan objected to the content.

Justice Jyoti Singh, in an interim order passed on July 27, held that the filmmakers cannot commercially exploit the Bollywood star’s identity, mannerisms or other distinctive attributes without his permission. The court also observed that content capable of harming an individual’s reputation cannot be freely circulated through digital platforms.

Court Finds Prima Facie Violation of Personality Rights

The High Court noted that the teaser and accompanying promotional material appeared to reference incidents linked to the blackbuck poaching case, which is still subject to pending legal proceedings.

According to the court, the promotional campaign allegedly used Salman Khan’s public persona to attract attention and generate commercial interest in the film.

The order observed that, at first glance, the material amounted to an unauthorised commercial exploitation of the actor’s identity and publicity rights.

The court further stated that individuals have the right to control how their identity is used commercially and that such rights form an important part of the constitutional protection of privacy, dignity and reputation under Article 21.

Teaser and Promotional Posts to Be Removed

As part of the interim relief, the High Court restrained the filmmakers from:

• Uploading or sharing the teaser.
• Publishing related promotional material.
• Circulating the content on social media, OTT platforms, television or print media.

The court directed the makers to remove the existing teaser and related posts within 24 hours.

It also ordered X, Meta Platforms, and Google to remove the specified URLs if the content was not voluntarily taken down within the stipulated time.

Salman Khan’s Objections

Representing Salman Khan, his legal team argued that the teaser portrayed a fictional superstar whose characteristics closely resembled the actor.

According to the petition, the promotional material allegedly included several identifiable elements associated with Salman Khan, including:

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• His well-known bracelet.
• Distinctive mannerisms.
• References linking the character to the blackbuck poaching case.
• The use of the phrase “this Dabangg,” which the actor’s lawyers argued was an obvious reference to his popular film franchise.

The petition further alleged that the promotional campaign attempted to associate the actor with criminal conspiracies and made defamatory insinuations that could seriously damage his public image.

Filmmakers Defend the Project

The makers of Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legal, led by filmmaker Amit Jani, opposed the plea before the court.

In their response, they argued that the film is not a biographical portrayal of Salman Khan and that public events or judicial proceedings cannot be exclusively claimed by any individual.

The filmmakers also maintained that there had been no false endorsement, impersonation or unlawful commercial exploitation of the actor’s identity.

They further informed the court that the film had not yet been submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for certification.

Actor Seeks Stay on Film’s Release

Apart from seeking the removal of the teaser, Salman Khan has also requested the court to restrain the release of the film.

In his rejoinder, the actor clarified that he was not claiming ownership over historical events or court proceedings. Instead, his objection was limited to the alleged unauthorised commercial use of his identity, image and distinctive characteristics to promote the film.

The matter is expected to be heard further as the legal proceedings continue.