Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah accused of abuse and inappropriate behaviour

On Thursday evening, filmmaker Abhinav Singh took to Instagram and accused cinematographer Pratik Shah of being “highly manipulative and emotionally abusive” towards women. Pratik is best known for his work in Vikramaditya Motwane’s Jubilee, CTRL and Neeraj Ghaywan’s recent Cannes outing Homebound, where he was present with the film’s team.Abhinav’s Instagram stories stirred up a hornet’s nest. In a post, the filmmaker, who had directed the short film Yatri Kripya Dhyan De, said that multiple women reached out to him to share their testimonies, and some even posted them on their own social media handles, narrating their experiences with Pratik. The latter deactivated his Instagram account soon after.

Dharma Productions, producers of Homebound, in a statement on Saturday, said, “At Dharma Productions, we have a zero-tolerance policy against inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment towards any individual working with us in any capacity, and we treat sexual harassment cases very seriously.

Mr. Pratik Shah was a freelancer on the project Homebound and was working on it for a limited period. His engagement with us has been completed.

During this limited period, our internal committee for POSH did not receive any complaints against Shah from any cast or crew during his association on Homebound."

According to THR India, a complaint was lodged against Pratik with the IWCC (The Indian Women Cinematographers’ Collective) four years ago by a young cinematographer, and the Collective warned him, stressing that such behaviour is unacceptable.

Why was there no accountability despite this step? Was merely a warning enough? Why was this information not in the public domain? This has largely been the sentiment. When we investigated the matter, a source told Bombay Times, “IWCC is a forum.

It’s a collective with no legal standing. It’s not an organisation. It was formed by female technicians 7-8 years ago, and the complaint made to them was anonymous. They took cognisance of it in the best way they could.

The forum tries to provide women with a safe space.”We reached out to Vikramaditya Motwane, Neeraj Ghaywan and Pratik Shah, who hadn’t responded till the time of going to press.

On Saturday, Hansal Mehta shared a note on X, which read, “Abuse thrives in silence. It festers in fear. Predatory behaviour by men in positions of power must be investigated thoroughly, and if found true, must be called out — unequivocally, and without delay.

For too long, predators have weaponised influence, privilege, and fear to silence survivors. That silence must be broken. But let’s be clear — abuse of power is not confined to one gender.

Women in positions of authority, too, have inflicted harm. Abuse has many forms. It is not always sexual. Mental, emotional and psychological abuse can be just as scarring. Just as violating (sic).”

He added, “Workspaces — especially creative ones — often cloak toxicity in the name of ‘passion’ or ‘genius.’ That must stop. No art, no film, no script is worth the cost of someone’s safety or sanity. Victims need voice. They need redress. They need a system that listens — and acts. Accountability is not cancel culture. It is culture correction. We owe it to ourselves, and to those who come after us, to make our spaces safer.

Cleaner. Kinder. Call out the predators. Call out the habitual abuser. Hold them accountable. Let no power be above decency (sic).”