‘Kala Hiran – The Battle For Legacy’ producer Amit Jani has taken the matter to the Supreme Court, contesting a Delhi High Court order that resulted in the removal of the teaser and promotional content for his film. The appeal follows weeks after the High Court’s directive to the makers to take down the material from public view.
Salman Khan ‘s personality rights
The controversy is rooted in Salman Khan’s personality rights, with the Delhi High Court noting that the promotional content for Amit Jani’s film appeared to misuse the actor’s identity in ways that could damage his public image. Jani’s plea against the interim order will now be taken up by the Supreme Court. Earlier, the High Court had ordered the takedown of the teaser for ‘Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legal’, reportedly based on Salman, along with other related posts, from online platforms following the actor’s objection.
Amit Jani speaks out on the Supreme Court plea
Talking to PTI, Producer Amit Jani said, “The Delhi High Court’s July 27 order directed the removal of the teaser and interviews. While respecting the court, we believe the decision was not just. We have therefore approached the Supreme Court and filed a petition seeking the restoration of our teaser and all the interviews that were removed. A filmmaker has the right to release a film’s teaser, trailer, posters and first look whenever they wish. Salman Khan does not appear anywhere in the teaser or the film. Lawrence Bishnoi also does not appear anywhere in the film, nor have we shown any alleged good or bad deeds of Salman Khan. Yet, the material was removed. We do not agree with the July 27 decision and have approached the Supreme Court seeking justice.”
Delhi High Court’s July 27 order on Salman Khan’s plea
In the order dated July 27, passed on Khan’s application, Justice Jyoti Singh ruled that the makers of ‘Kala Hiran’ could not commercially exploit the 59-year-old Bollywood star’s name, mannerisms, and other distinctive traits without his consent, or circulate content that damages his reputation. The court further noted that using social media to spread content that infringes on personality rights or harms one’s image only worsens the issue, given how quickly, widely, and permanently digital content spreads.
Delhi High Court restrains makers from promoting the teaser
Justice Singh restrained the makers from uploading, hosting, sharing or promoting the teaser and related promotional content on social media, OTT platforms, television and print media, and ordered the removal of existing posts within 24 hours. In case of non-compliance by the makers, X, Meta and Google were directed to take down the URLs themselves.The court observed that the teaser drew on incidents and characters linked to the ongoing blackbuck poaching case, seemingly showing the actor involved in intimidating witnesses and obstructing the investigation, and ruled that this could inflict serious, irreparable damage on Khan’s reputation.
Salman Khan’s legal team on the teaser’s content
According to Khan’s legal counsel, the teaser shows a dramatised trial of a superstar accused of killing a blackbuck, featuring a character whose name closely resembles Khan’s, along with dialogue such as “this Dabangg.” They also alleged that the promotional campaign associated the actor with the underworld and international terrorist groups, pointing to a suggested conspiracy against the film.Khan’s application is part of a broader lawsuit filed to safeguard his personality rights, in which he alleged that the filmmakers had commercially exploited his identity and distinct traits, including his bracelet and ear studs, without his consent. He also sought a stay on the film’s release. In response, the filmmakers told the court that the movie was yet to be submitted to the censor board for certification.
Makers deny violating Salman Khan’s personality rights
In their reply, the makers denied violating Khan’s personality rights, arguing that he had no ownership over criminal cases, court proceedings, media reports or historical events simply by virtue of being involved in them. They further clarified that ‘Kala Hiran – The Battle For Legacy’ is not a biopic based on Salman, and maintained that personality rights cannot be used as a tool to erase publicly known events connected to the blackbuck controversy.
Salman Khan rejects makers’ argument
Salman dismissed this argument, clarifying that he wasn’t seeking a monopoly over the events or the discourse surrounding them. His concern, he explained, was the unauthorised commercial exploitation of his identity and distinctive traits to draw in audiences. He had earlier moved the Delhi High Court seeking protection against the unauthorised use of his name, image, likeness, and persona on social media and e-commerce platforms, following which the court had ruled in his favour through an interim order on December 11, 2025.
