Latest news with #IWCC
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah accused of abuse and inappropriate behaviour
Cinematographer Pratik Shah 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. Pratik (left) was accused of being highly manipulative and emotionally abusive towards women by filmmaker Abhinav Singh (right) 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." Filmmaker Abhinav Singh's stories on Instagram 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. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ile-de-france: Voici l'astuce pour avoir des panneaux solaires sans payer l'installation ! Programme Ecologique Undo 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. Hansal Mehta 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).' Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Pink Villa
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah's career grinds to halt after s*xual misconduct controversy?
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of s*xual abuse. The internet was abuzz ever since independent filmmaker Abhinav Singh made allegations against Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah of s*xual misconduct. Days after Dharma Productions broke their silence on the matter, the industry has taken strict action against Pratik. In a call to action, he has not only been removed from films, but an internal inquiry has also been initiated against him. According to a report published in Mid-day, Pratik Shah has been dropped from Shefali Shah 's yet untitled film, which is slated to go on floors this week. An insider informed the publication that in light of the serious accusations, the team of Shefali's film decided to drop him. The makers are now looking for a replacement, as the film will roll in a few days. The report further states that the cinematographer is likely to be removed from Rajkummar Rao 's Sourav Ganguly's biopic, helmed by Vikramaditya Motwane. Additionally, a recent report by The Hollywood Report also confirmed the news, stating that the makers have decided to discontinue their association with Shah, who was also on location scout recently. "The recce was on till recently, and Shah was in London for the same. Allegations against him surfaced just around the time he returned to India," a source was quoted as saying. Not only this, the Mid-day report also reveals that an internal inquiry has also been ordered in the matter. 'After the Cannes premiere of Homebound, Pratik flew to the UK for the biopic's recce. But now, an Internal Complaints Committee [ICC] has been formed to investigate the claims against him before any decisions about his involvement are made. The pre-production on the project continues as scheduled,' a source was quoted as saying. The latest allegations against Shah yet again fuelled concerns about women's safety in the industry. In response to this, IWCC has taken cognizance of the matter. Another source also shared that the IWCC has promptly taken note of the allegations, considering a complaint was registered with them against Pratik back in 2020. Furthermore, the committee looking seriously into the matter has also encouraged female cinematographers to come forward to share their experiences, if any, with Pratik. On the other hand, two women from different parts of the entertainment industry also shared their accounts of alleged misconduct by Pratik. The shared experiences gave an insight into the cinematographer's supposed pattern of initiating contact on Instagram or dating apps with conversations that would soon turn vulgar. It has been claimed that Shah would send unsolicited n*de pictures and s*xual voice notes. Pratik has yet to respond publicly to the allegations. However, she deactivated his Instagram account shortly after the accusations came to light. Amid Homebound making it to the headlines lately for all the wrong reasons, director Neeraj Ghaywan posted a gratitude note on his social media. Shrugging off Shah's name amid the controversy, he expressed his gratitude to the entire team, including writers Sumit Roy, Shoaib Nazeer, and Varun Grover, who wrote the dialogues for the film. He walked down memory lane, recalling his journey on the film that started from an article, Taking Amrit Home by Basharat Peer, which was published in the New York Times. Ghaywan also thanked the film's producers, including Dharma Productions, Somen Mishra, and his team, among others. Take a look "Now that the whirlwind that was Cannes is over, I'd like to acknowledge the contributions of people associated with our film #Homebound. Starting off with the writing process," he wrote in the caption. "[Sorry I forgot to write in the post that I wrote the screenplay as well. That was by myself]," he further added. Homebound was screened at the Cannes 2025 last month in May, which was attended by the entire film's team.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Dharma Productions Issues Statement After Homebound Cinematographer Gets Accused Of Sexual Misconduct
New Delhi: Cinematographer Pratik Shah recently came under the radar when several allegations about his inappropriate behaviour surfaced online. He was accused by filmmaker Abhinav Singh, based on testimonies from over 20 women. Pratik had also asked for nudes or offered to send them, claimed Singh after victims reached out to him via Instagram. Now after a day of such claims being made, Karan Johar's Dharma Productions has issued an official statement to offer a perspective to the several statements making the rounds. What Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah was accused of abusive, emotional and inappropriate behaviour. A day after the viral accusation was made by Abhinav Singh, the production house has now released an official statement. It reads, "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 didn't receive any complaints against him from any cast or crew on our film Homebound." The Controversy Pratik Shah has now deactivated his social media account after a severe backlash. Abhinav Singh, who has helmed short films like Sita starring Shriya Pilgaonkar and Amazon Mini TV's Yatri Kripya Dhyan De, featuring Shweta Basu Prasad and Shaheer Sheikh, called Shah incredibly manipulative and abusive. The latter highlighted how he had received several testimonies from women. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a source close to the Indian Women Cinematographers' Collective (IWCC) also highlighted that Pratik Shah had come under scrutiny about four years ago. This took place after a young cinematographer contacted a senior IWCC member to report inappropriate behaviour. The woman shared her story and claimed that after reaching out to Pratik Shah on Instagram for work, their conversation went from one thing to another, and soon he asked for her nude snaps. "The girl panicked and reached out to someone senior, who alerted IWCC. A senior member of IWCC reached out to him on WhatsApp and called him out, warning him that this was not acceptable behaviour. He apologized and said it was a one-off incident that won't happen again. This was the investigation that happened, and it was made known that IWCC was cognizant of his behaviour," the source told THR. Abhinav Singh alleged, that over 20 women had reached out to him, calling Shah a "predator." In A Nutshell Homebound's cinematographer Pratik Shah attended the Cannes 2025 Film Festival this year for the film's screening. He was accused of unacceptable sexual advances made towards women, asking for their nudes and sending unsolicited explicit messages to them. Dharma Productions, who has produced Homebound, issued an official statement stating that they have a zero-tolerance policy towards such behaviour. They also added that their association with the accused was limited as he was a freelancer on the project.
News18
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Dharma Issues FIRST Statement On Sexual Misconduct Claims Against Homebound DOP Pratik Shah
Last Updated: Dharma Productions responds to allegations against Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah, citing zero-tolerance policy and no POSH complaints during his tenure. Cinematographer Pratik Shah, known for his work on acclaimed titles like Homebound (directed by Neeraj Ghaywan), Jubilee (by Vikramaditya Motwane), and CTRL, has come under public scrutiny following allegations of inappropriate behavior. The accusations surfaced after filmmaker Abhinav Singh took to social media, describing Shah as 'emotionally abusive" and 'highly manipulative," citing testimonies from multiple women. In light of the controversy, Dharma Productions, which backed Homebound, issued an official statement. The studio reiterated its zero-tolerance policy toward any form of misconduct or sexual harassment. They clarified that Shah was engaged as a freelance cinematographer for a brief period and that his association with the project has since ended. According to the statement, during Shah's tenure, no formal complaints were filed against him with the production's Internal Committee under the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) policy. Dharma also emphasized its commitment to ensuring a safe and respectful workplace for all collaborators. Meanwhile, Shah, who was recently spotted at the Cannes Film Festival with the Homebound team, has deactivated his Instagram account following the emergence of these allegations. Abhinav Singh—known for his short films Sita (starring Shriya Pilgaonkar) and Yatri Kripya Dhyan De (featuring Shaheer Sheikh and Shweta Basu Prasad)—shared on record that several women had come forward to him with personal accounts of Shah's behavior. Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter India revealed that similar concerns had surfaced years earlier. A young female cinematographer reportedly contacted a senior member of the Indian Women Cinematographers' Collective (IWCC), claiming Shah had asked her for a nude photo during a professional exchange over Instagram. Sources confirm that the matter was brought to the attention of the collective and prompted informal inquiries within the IWCC at the time. As the situation unfolds, more voices are expected to come forward. Shah has not publicly responded to the allegations as of this writing. First Published:
India Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Homebound cinematographer accused of sexual misconduct. Dharma Productions reacts
Cinematographer Pratik Shah, who has worked in Hindi films including Neeraj Gaywan's 'Homebound' and Vikramaditya Motwane's 'Jubilee' and 'CTRL', has been accused of sexual harassment. Filmmaker Abhinav Singh, who has helmed short films such as 'Sita' and 'Yatri Kripya Dhyan De', levelled these allegations against him after receiving testimonies from nearly 20 the sexual misconduct allegations emerged, the cinematographer deleted his Instagram profile. According to a report on The Hollywood Reporter India, this isn't the first time that Pratik has been in the news for his sexually inappropriate years ago, a young cinematographer got in touch with a senior member in the Indian Women Cinematographers' Collective (IWCC) to file a complaint against him. The woman claimed that Pratik Shah asked for a nude picture when she reached out to him for work on Instagram. A source told the publication, "The girl panicked and reached out to someone senior, who alerted IWCC. A senior member of IWCC reached out to him on WhatsApp and called him out, warning him that this was not acceptable behaviour. He apologised and said it was a one-off incident that won't happen again. This was the investigation that happened, and it was made known that IWCC was cognisant of his behaviour."Abhinav Singh also claimed that he received testimonies from over 20 women, who called him a predator. He also shared their complaints, hiding their identity, where they alleged receiving 'flirtatious' and 'creepy' messages from Shah's most recent work is Dharma Productions' 'Homebound', which had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. A day after the allegations surfaced, Dharma Productions issued a per the report, 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."Pratik Shah hasn't responded to the allegations yet.
