In June 2024, filmmaker Karan Johar filed a suit before the Bombay High Court seeking to restrain the release and promotion of the film ‘Shaadi Ke Director Karan Aur Johar’. The Plaintiff argued that the film’s title and its use of the names ‘Karan’ and ‘Johar’ as Bollywood directors was a direct and unauthorized reference to him, infringing his personality and publicity rights and causing irreparable harm to his reputation and goodwill.
On March 7, 2025, the Court made absolute the interim stay previously granted in June 2024, effectively barring the film’s release under its current title. The Court found that Johar’s name had acquired brand value and a distinctive identity, and its use in the film’s title was intended to unfairly profit from his fame and mislead the public into believing he was associated with the project. The Defendants offered to include a disclaimer ‘This film has nothing to do with producer/director Shri Karan Johar ji’. However, the Court held that minor modifications to the film’s title or inclusion of a disclaimer would not remedy the infringement and held that any use of ‘Karan’ and ‘Johar’ in this context would create confusion and violate the Plaintiff’s rights. The Court also emphasized that only Karan Johar had the right to commercially exploit his brand name, and others could not use it without his consent.
Source: Karan Johar v. India Pride Advisory Pvt. Ltd. and Ors. [(COMM. IPR SUIT (L) NO.17863 OF 2024]