Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah accused of abuse by filmmaker

Homebound and Jubilee cinematographer Pratik Shah has been accused of being emotionally abusive and highly manipulative by filmmaker Abhinav Singh. In a series of posts on his Instagram Stories, Abhinav shared details about a “predator” in the film industry, with nearly 20 women reportedly coming forward to share their stories with him. While he initially did not reveal the artist’s identity, he later named the person as cinematographer Pratik Shah. Shortly after being named, Pratik Shah took down his Instagram account.

Abhinav Singh calls Pratik Shah `predator`

Short film and ad filmmaker Abhinav Singh highlighted the silent abuse faced by women in the industry at the hands of Shah. He claimed that over 20 women reached out to him since Thursday morning, sharing their experiences of working with or interacting with Pratik Shah. Singh also shared his own troubling experiences.

He further expressed disappointment that men did not reach out to him or take the time to understand or listen to what was happening. “When women speak out, they pay a price… But when men speak out? Rarely are they punished. In fact, more often than not, they are praised for doing the bare minimum. That is the depth of privilege you hold. So use it,” he wrote.

Abhinav added, “Use your privilege to listen — really listen. Use your platform to ask difficult questions. Use your position to call out behavior even when it`s inconvenient. And do it not just for your mothers, daughters, or sisters, but for your friends, your colleagues, your peers. Being a man is not about ‘being able to get it up.’ Being a man — being human — is about showing up.”

Meanwhile, Pratik has deleted his Instagram account after being called out publicly by Abhinav on social media.

Netizens call out Pratik Shah

Reacting to Singh`s post, filmmaker Srishti Riya Jain revealed that Shah has been “on the prowl for the past four years.” She also shared screenshots of discussions of Shah`s inappropriate behavior on Reddit. Sharing the screenshots, she wrote, “To everyone pretending to act shocked, scandalised, and suddenly awoken from their slumber… THIS man, who worked on one of the `most empathetic` films of the year — as per their interviews at Cannes.”

One Reddit user commented, “Pratik Shah is a total sleazeball. Slides into every girl`s DMs and talks crap.”

Another wrote, “My god, he sent me a request last year while I was liking her pics. I accepted his request, and he said, ‘Sorry, request sent by mistake.’ And I was like okay… and unfollowed him immediately.”

This article first appeared on Mid Day