Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah accused of abuse, Karan Johar's Dharma Productions breaks silence
Neeraj Ghaywan's latest film Homebound recently made waves with its screening at the Cannes Film Festival 2025, earning a 9-minute standing ovation and widespread acclaim. The film continues to make news but for the wrong reasons. Its cinematographer Pratik Shah has been accused of 'abuse' and 'inappropriate behaviour' towards multiple women.
On Saturday, Karan Johar's production house Dharma Productions issued a statement on the matter, asserting their zero-tolerance policy.
Times of India quoted their statement: '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.'
'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.'
Pratik Shah is best known for his work in films Jubilee, CTRL and Homebound.
Recently his name cropped up when independent filmmaker Abhinav Singh took to Instagram and accused Pratik of abuse. He also indirectly called him 'highly manipulative' and "emotionally abusive".
Without revealing names, Abhinav initially urged his female followers to be careful around a cinematographer. He wrote, 'To my female friends: Please be cautious around a certain cinematographer I've encountered-he's highly manipulative and emotionally abusive based on my personal experience. If you want details, feel free to DM me.'
Later, he revealed he was talking about Pratik Shah. He added, 'The number of women who've reached out to me is honestly frightening. I feel like I'm having a Margot Robbie moment from Bombshell. I will not be silenced. And to those who are still employing him – f**k you. His name is Pratik Shah. He's a cinematographer.'
He claimed that many women reached out to him regarding Pratik and called him a 'predator.'
'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," he said.
Filmmaker-writer Srishti Riya Jain also amplified several accusations against Pratik on Reddit.
She also accused the film industry of a 'selective attention span and gaze' when it comes to acclaimed people.
'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 — or so the interviews at Cannes claimed,' she wrote.
The alleged Reddit post featured someone calling Pratik 'a total sleazeball.' 'He slides into every girl's DMs and talks crap,' someone mentioned. Another said, 'He sent me a follow request last year while I was liking a mutual friend's pictures. I accepted it, and he said it was a mistake. I unfollowed him immediately — it felt off."
Reportedly, Pratik has either deactivated or deleted his Instagram account as his social media handles remain unavailable. He is yet to address the allegations against him.
As per THR India, four years ago Pratik Shah faced a similar situation but was let go after a warning.
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