The Madras High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by actor Tamannaah Bhatia seeking ₹1 crore in damages against Power Soaps Limited over the alleged unauthorised use of her images, thereby upholding an earlier single-judge ruling that had rejected her claim.
The case stems from an endorsement agreement entered into on October 7, 2008, under which Tamannaah Bhatia permitted Power Soaps Limited to use her photographs on product packaging for a period of one year, ending on October 6, 2009. The agreement was not renewed after its expiry. The actor subsequently alleged that the company continued to use her images on soap wrappers, advertisements, and related materials even after the contractual period had ended, and claimed that such usage caused her financial loss, particularly at a time when she was negotiating with competing brands. She sought ₹1 crore as compensation along with a permanent injunction to restrain further use of her likeness.
The matter was initially dismissed by a single judge in 2017, who found that the materials submitted by the actor, including product wrappers, purchase documents, and online listings, did not establish a clear link between the company and the alleged unauthorised use. The court concluded that the documents were not reliable and did not prove that Power Soaps Limited had continued to use her images beyond the agreed period. As a result, the claim for damages and injunction was rejected.
Challenging this decision, Tamannaah Bhatia filed an appeal before a division bench comprising Justice P Velmurugan and Justice K Govindarajan Thilakavadi. On April 16, 2026, the division bench upheld the earlier ruling, agreeing that the actor had failed to provide sufficient and credible evidence to support her claims. The bench declined to interfere with the findings of the single judge and confirmed that there were no grounds to grant compensation.
With this ruling, the High Court has effectively brought the legal dispute to a close, denying the actor’s demand for ₹1 crore in damages and affirming that the evidence presented did not substantiate allegations of unauthorised commercial use of her images after the expiry of the endorsement agreement.
