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 seeking a replacement, as the film is set to roll in a few days. 

The report further states that the cinematographer is likely to be removed from Rajkummar Rao's biopic of Sourav Ganguly, 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 recently on a location scout. "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, which is looking seriously into the matter, has also encouraged female cinematographers to come forward and 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 provided insight into the cinematographer's supposed pattern of initiating contact on Instagram or dating apps through 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 through the film that began with 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.  

Disclaimer: If you know someone who is struggling with abuse, please reach out and report it. There are several helplines available for the same.

ALSO READ: Pankaj Tripathi says he isn't 'scared' of AI days after his fake images as Baburao for Hera Pheri 3 surface online: 'You have to live...'