Dharma says Pratik Shah worked for limited period on Homebound amid sexual misconduct allegations; Hansal Mehta demands thorough investigation

Indian Express

2 days ago

A day after sexual misconduct accusations against Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah surfaced, Karan Johar's Dharma Productions has released an official statement regarding his conduct. In the statement, Dharma claimed that Pratik worked with them for a limited period of time and in that period, they did not receive any complaints against him from any of the cast or crew members working on the film.
The official statement from Dharma Productions read: 'At Dharma Productions, we have a zero tolerance policy against inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment towards any individual working with us in any capacity, and we treat sexual harassment cases very seriously.'
The statement further read: '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 or crew on our film Homebound.'
On Saturday, filmmaker Hansal Mehta also took to his X handle and wrote that 'predatory behaviour by men in positions of power must be investigated thoroughly.' He did not name anyone in his tweet and wrote, '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.' However, he added that power is not confined to one gender and wrote, '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.'
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…
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) May 31, 2025
He further wrote, '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.' He concluded his post as he wrote, 'Call out the predators. Call out the habitual abuser. Hold them accountable. Let no power be above decency.'
On Thursday, independent filmmaker Abhinav Singh took to his Instagram handle to pen a long note against Jubilee cinematographer Pratik Shah. He called him 'highly manipulative' and 'emotionally abusive.'
In another post, he revealed that after his post, about 20 women reached him with their stories. 'I've spoken out, and now I'm hearing from others — people who've felt silenced or sidelined. It's heartbreaking. The patterns are undeniable. Many have called him a predator. Not a single man messaged to ask what happened, to listen, or to offer support. That silence is loud.'
He gained support from writer Srishti Riya Jain, who shared a screenshot of a Reddit post against the cinematographer and wrote on her Instagram Stories, 'To everyone pretending to act shocked, scandalised, and suddenly awoken from their slumber… THIS man worked on one of the 'most empathetic' films of the year as per interviews at Cannes. He has been on the prowl since 4 years. And this post about him on Reddit is one of the top search results if you Google him. But well, the film industry has a selective attention span and gaze when people are acclaimed.'
In the Reddit post share, people have shared their opinions and experiences about him. A user wrote, 'Pratik Shah is a total sleazeball. Slides into every girl's dms and talks crap.' Another user wrote, 'My God, he sent me request last year while I was liking her pics. I accepted his request and he said, 'sorry, request sent by a mistake.' And I was like okay and unfollowed him immediately.'
Post the incident, Pratik Shah has deactivated his Instagram account.