Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan: Not the first to insure faces, privacy

Actor Abhishek Bachchan has moved the Delhi High Court for personality rights protection, a day after his wife, actress Aishwarya Rai, approached the court in a similar case. Several celebrities are moving courts to prevent the misuse of their personalities in this digital age.

While the West has been the trendsetter in this respect, India is not new to the concept. The oldest instance of this type is perhaps Bengali actress Suchitra Sen.. Many residents of Kolkata spotted her in public places after she retired (mostly while she went shopping with her grandchildren, the daughters of Moon Moon Sen). Still, no newspaper or television channel ever showed the old Suchitra Sen during all the post-retirement years that she was alive.

Lata Mangeshkar began being criticised for a failing voice when she sang "Kuchh na kaho" for the film 1942: A Love Story. While this film was released in the 1990s, murmurs of disapproval were heard in the 1980s when Suresh Wadkar sounded better than Lata Mangeshkar in the title song of Ram Teri Ganga Maili, a rendering in which Lata's voice sounded strained. 

After the "Kuchh na kaho" 'disaster', she got her act together again, singing for another decade, now mostly for composer AR Rahman. But it was her voice in the 1960s that enthralled the masses. Before retiring, therefore, Lata Mangeshkar reportedly insured her young voice. The story in the grapevines could not be verified, though, as nobody tried to violate her insured voice.

But Bollywood is hardly the trendsetter in this matter. The West in general and Hollywood in particular have been doing this for nearly a century.

A. European celebrity who insured her appearance and won privacy damages

This refers to Princess Caroline of Hanover (formerly Princess Caroline of Monaco). In a landmark case, she sued to suppress publication of private photographs—images of her in places like a beach club or shopping—arguing they infringed her privacy.

This went all the way to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which ruled in her favour in 2004. The court ruling emphasised that even public figures might have a reasonable expectation of privacy in everyday, non-public contexts. This case is a cornerstone in European privacy law.

B. Ten instances of celebrities who insured their body parts or appearance

Here are 10 notable examples of high-profile individuals—celebrities, performers, athletes, etc—who insured body parts that were essential to their careers:

1. Betty Grable: The Hollywood actress in the 1940s insured her famously shapely legs for around $1 million.
2. Bette Davis: The legendary actress insured her waist for about $28,000 in the 1940s, responding to fears that weight gain would affect her career.
3. Julia Roberts: Allegedly insured her smile for $30 million, recognising its value as a signature asset.
4. Mariah Carey: During her "Adventures of Mimi" tour, she took out $35 million policies each on her vocal cords and legs (totalling $70 million).
5. David Beckham: Insured his legs for around $140–144 million while playing for Real Madrid.
6. Rihanna: Reportedly insured her legs for $1 million.
7. Jennifer Lopez: Famously said to have insured her buttocks for $27 million, though she has downplayed the rumours.
8. Kylie Minogue: Reportedly insured her buttocks for $5 million.
9. Daniel Craig: Insured his entire body for about $9.5 million, particularly for his stunts in Bond films.
10. America Ferrera: Aquafresh (via Lloyd’s) insured her smile for $10 million as part of a campaign.

The 10 instances above showcase how performers and athletes have literally put a price on the physical assets that defined their careers.