Gautam Gambhir Sues 16 Defendants Over Deepfakes and Fake Merchandise

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has moved the Delhi High Court, filing a Rs 2.5 crore lawsuit against 16 defendants over the misuse of his identity through deepfake videos and unauthorized merchandise. The legal action follows similar cases filed by Bollywood legends Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor to protect their image rights.

The Deepfake Controversy

The trouble began in late 2025 when highly realistic AI-generated videos of Gambhir began circulating across YouTube, X, and Instagram. One such video falsely showed him announcing his resignation as India’s head coach, racking up over 29 million views. Another deepfake depicted him making inflammatory remarks about senior cricketers, drawing approximately 17 lakh views. Despite being entirely fabricated, both videos spread rapidly before any corrective action was taken.

Beyond Social Media: Unauthorized Merchandise

The issue extended well beyond fake videos. Gambhir’s legal team discovered that sellers on major e-commerce platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart, were commercially profiting from posters and merchandise bearing his name and likeness without any authorization. The lawsuit names deepfake creators, social media platforms that hosted the content, and these e-commerce sites as defendants.

Gambhir has demanded the immediate removal of all fake content alongside the financial damages. In a public statement, he described the situation as deeply personal, saying his name, face, and voice had been weaponized to spread misinformation and generate revenue at his expense. He emphasized this was not just a legal matter, but one of fundamental dignity for every public figure navigating the age of artificial intelligence.