Chiranjeevi Dhaba receives legal notice for using star's name and likeness; owner clarifies what happened

The owner of Chiranjeevi Dhaba in Nallagandla took to Instagram on Sunday to confirm that he received a legal notice and reveal what happened next.

The Chiranjeevi Dhaba in Nallagandla, Hyderabad, which was launched in April this year, received a legal notice for using the Telugu star’s name and likeness. After the news went viral on social media, the restaurant’s owner, Ravi Tej, took to Instagram to confirm that he had received a notice, clarifying what happened next.

Chiranjeevi recently approached Hyderabad civil court to protect his personality rights.

Chiranjeevi Dhaba owner confirms receiving legal notice

Chiranjeevi Dhaba’s owner began the video by stating that he was making it to clarify the rumours circulating on social media. He also stated that he received a legal notice after the Hyderabad Civil Court passed the order to protect Chiranjeevi’s personality rights, along with nearly 60 other establishments.

However, he claimed that he was an ardent admirer of the star and that he began the restaurant out of love and respect, ‘with good intentions and pure admiration’. “It’s understandable that he might not have been aware of it earlier, but we firmly believed that once he knew the truth, he would respond positively, and our belief proved absolutely right,” he said, claiming that they met Chiranjeevi’s team to sort out the issue. He also stated that they received Chiranjeevi’s consent to run the restaurant with his name.

The owner added that there have been rumours that cases are being filed and some people are even getting arrested just for using Chiranjeevi’s name or picture. He stated that as long as the actor’s reputation isn’t being harmed, ‘there’s nothing to fear’. He ended the video by thanking Chiranjeevi for understanding and allowing them to run the restaurant in his name.

Chiranjeevi approaches court to protect personality rights

In October this year, a Hyderabad court granted an ad-interim injunction in favour of Chiranjeevi to protect his personality and publicity rights, including the unauthorised commercial use of his name, image, voice, and other recognisable attributes across all formats and media. He sought the court's intervention to stop the unauthorised use of his identity on merchandise, online platforms, and through the application of artificial intelligence technologies. Later that month, he also filed a complaint with the police over obscene AI-generated videos made in his likeness.

Last seen in Waltair Veerayya and Bhola Shankar in 2023, Chiranjeevi will soon star in Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, Vishwambhara, and untitled projects by Srikanth Odela and Bobby.