Cinematographer Pratik Shah removed from Shefali Shah`s next

The Hindi film industry is infamous for perpetuating the culture of silence. But this time around, it has responded swiftly to allegations of Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah’s inappropriate behaviour. mid-day has learnt that the cinematographer has been dropped from Shefali Shah’s yet-untitled film, which is slated to roll this week.

This development comes after independent filmmaker Abhinav Singh, on May 29, cited the testimonies of multiple women and called Pratik “emotionally abusive” and “manipulative”. Taking to Instagram Stories, Singh revealed that the women’s testimonies stated that Pratik behaved like a “predator” and would often solicit or send unsolicited nude pictures of himself. Soon after Singh’s allegations came to light, it was reported that Pratik, five years ago, was investigated by the Indian Women Cinematographers’ Collective (IWCC) after a young cinematographer had complained against him for soliciting a nude picture. 

Vikramaditya Motwane will helm the Sourav Ganguly biopic

An insider reveals, “In light of these serious accusations, the team of Shefali’s film has decided to drop him. The makers are looking for a replacement, and the project will roll in a few days.”

This may not be the only project to take action against the cinematographer. It has been heard that Pratik’s association with the Sourav Ganguly biopic, helmed by Vikramaditya Motwane, has also been put on hold. An internal inquiry has been ordered on the matter. “After the Cannes première 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.” Before this, Pratik worked with Motwane on Jubilee (2023) and CTRL (2024).

With the episode putting the spotlight on women’s safety in the film industry once again, the IWCC has taken cognisance of the allegations. “Considering a complaint was registered with them against Pratik in 2020, the IWCC has promptly taken note of the matter. It has asked female cinematographers to come forward to share their experiences, if any, with Pratik. They are looking into it seriously,” says a source. 

Two women from different parts of the entertainment industry also reached out to mid-day and shared their accounts of alleged misconduct by Pratik. The accounts mirror the cinematographer’s supposed pattern of initiating contact on Instagram or dating apps, with conversations soon turning “lewd”, and involving sending unsolicited or soliciting nude pictures and sexual voice notes.   

Pratik has yet to respond publicly to the allegations. He deactivated his Instagram account shortly after the accusations came to light. 

Homebound makers issue a statement

Dharma Productions, which backed Homebound, issued a statement after Pratik Shah was accused of inappropriate behaviour. It read, “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 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 Homebound.”

This article first appeared on Mid Day