Apurva Asrani 'shocked' to see Delhi hospital use his Bells Palsy pic on poster without permission

Writer-editor Apurva Asrani has reacted sharply to a Delhi hospital using his picture for a poster, without his permission. The hospital used his picture, from the time when he suffered from facial paralysis due to Bells Palsy, on a poster that talks about symptoms of stroke.

Sharing images of the poster, Apurva wrote on Twitter, "Shocked to see Primus Hospital, Delhi, use my picture without my permission. This was an image taken in early 2018 when I was struck by facial paralysis caused from Bells Palsy. Also, Primus wrongly claims on this banner that my condition was caused by a stroke. Very distressing." Filmmaker Onir was quick to respond with, "Absolutely appalling. Unethical."

Many fans suggested Apurva should sue the hospital. A few also shared their own stories, full of similar incidences. Even actor Sudha Menon shared in a reply, "I was shocked and deeply disturbed when a friend sent me a life size pic of me pasted inside the lift at #HcGhospital, Chennai. It said I was a cancer survivor. Totally unscrupulous."

While Apurva did not mention if he plans to take any legal action, he has been sharing reactions on his Twitter timeline. "Ideally, the eyes ought to be covered in such photos if there is a consent to use the photo for educational purposes, such as in medical books or journals. What has happened here is outright illegal, unethical, and commercial. Kindly send them a legal notice," one wrote.

Singer Sona Mohapatra wrote, "This is ridiculous, unethical, deeply disgusting & I’m sure against the law. Do send them a legal notice @Apurvasrani."

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Apurva's most recent work was the widely celebrated Amazon web series, The Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors.