Pratik Shah, a cinematographer has been accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behaviour by multiple women. He had worked in films such as Homebound (2025) Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and produced by Dharma Productions. The movie also was well received at this year’s screening in Cannes Film Festival. He also worked in films such as Jubilee (2023) and CTR (2024) both directed by Vikramaditya Motwane.The allegations came to light when Filmmaker Abhinav Singh, who had made short films such as Sita and Yatri Kripya Dhyan De brought them forward through his Instagram after receiving testimonies from nearly 20 women. In his Instagram post he wrote “I’ve spoken out, and now I’m hearing from others – people who’ve felt silenced or sidelined,” adding “It’s heartbreaking. The patterns are undeniable. Many have called him a predator.” further revealing the name of the accused Pratik Shah. In the immediate aftermath of the backlash, Pratik Shah appeared to deactivate his Instagram account.The allegations intensified when filmmaker and writer Srishti Riya Jain shared a series of posts on her Instagram alleging that Shah has “been on the prowl for the past four years.” Srishti highlighted discussions from Reddit where users had previously flagged Shah’s behaviour, describing him as someone who habitually slid into women’s DMs and made them uncomfortable.A day after the allegations surfaced Dharma Productions issued a statement. The statement read, “At Dharma Productions, we have 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 didn’t receive any complaints against him from any cast and crew on our film Homebound.”Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has publicly demanded an urgent investigation into the allegations against Pratik Shah. In a statement shared on social media platform X where it 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. The filmmaker also took aim at toxic work cultures, particularly within creative industries”. He concluded the post urging the industry to take responsibility for creating safer, more compassionate spaces.Despite all the accusations Pratik Shah has still not responded.This article is authored by Kripa C Saji as part of internship program with Deccan Chronicle.
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