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Days after Cannes 2025, why is Homebound trending? Cinematographer Pratik Shah’s CONTROVERSY EXPLAINED
Days after Cannes Film Festival, Homebound has been trending again but for all the wrong reasons. Read on to understand the ongoing controversy between Pratik Shah and Abhinav Singh.
Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter, and Vishal Jethwa starrer Homebound was screened at the prestigious 78th Cannes Film Festival earlier this month. Days after Neeraj Ghaywan’s directorial film achieved a significant milestone, the film is yet again hitting the headlines, but for all the wrong reasons. What happened? Actually, independent filmmaker Abhinav Singh has accused Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah of ‘being emotionally abusive and highly manipulative.’
What is the controversy between Abhinav Singh and Pratik Shah?
Recently, independent filmmaker Abhinav Singh posted a series of Instagram stories calling out a "predator" in the film industry. He noted that most of the time, women don’t speak against them due to "generational, cultural, deeply ingrained training" to stay quiet, safe, and to survive.
He revealed that his admission encouraged 20 more women to reach out to him, weighing in on similar experiences of troubling interactions. The filmmaker also expressed his disappointment over "woke" men maintaining a silence on the "uncomfortable practice."
He noted that women pay a price when they speak out and urged men to use their "privilege" to listen, "ask difficult questions," and use their position to call out inappropriate behavior.
"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," Abhinav wrote. In another story posted on his social media, he insisted on choosing "confrontation" over one becoming a "part of the problem."
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While he initially didn’t reveal the name of the artist, the filmmaker later revealed that it was none other than cinematographer Pratik Shah.
"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 still employing him- f*ck you. His name is Pratik Shah. He’s a cinematographer," he wrote in one of his stories.
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When the allegations caught the whiff of the internet users, Pratik Shah, in response, apparently deactivated his Instagram account. At the time of writing, his handle displays a “user not found" message, indicating that the account has either been deleted or disabled.
Industry people come in support of Abhinav Singh
On the other hand, the controversy seems to date back to the past as several other filmmakers also jumped in to support Abhinav Singh’s claims.
Filmmaker and writer Srishti Riya Jain shared discussions from Reddit where the internet users had previously called out Shah’s behavior, describing him as someone who "habitually slid into women’s DMs".
Srishti expressed her strong reaction, stating, "To everyone pretending to act shocked, scandalized 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. Has been on the prowl since 4 years."
She noted that the said post is one of the top searches on Google, but pointed out that the industry has a "selective attention span" and gaze when people are famous.
In addition to this, Smriti Kiran, the founder and director of Pola Dot Slight Box, also supported the allegations and hoped for the case to gain momentum. She also admitted to getting several messages from women with multiple people guessing the same name.
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Who is Pratik Shah?
According to Pratik Shah’s IMDb page, he is an American cinematographer from Dallas, Texas. He majored in Fine Art Photography at the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, DC, in the BFA program, and then went on to pursue cinematography in the MFA program at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA.
His notable works include CTRL, Jubilee, and the most recently critically acclaimed, Homebound.
About Homebound
Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, Homebound is led by Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor, and Vishal Jethwa. It also features Shalini Vatsa, Tushar Phulke, Harshika Parmar, and Pankaj Dubey in the key roles. It is produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra, while Marijke deSouza and Melita Toscan Du Plantier are the co-producers.
The film caught significant attention as it was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival earlier this month. While it marked the debut of its lead star cast at the event, director Neeraj Ghaywan returned to Cannes for the second time after 10 years since his debut film, Masaan's premiere, led by Vicky Kaushal.
Plot of Homebound
Homebound is a beautiful story between two young men who strive to become police officers in modern-day India. They hope to build better lives not only for themselves but also for their families. However, the story takes a poignant turn as it explores the struggle for survival and the enduring power of hope in a competitive and unjust world.
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with any kind of abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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