Dharma Productions has issued a statement over the scandal involving Pratik Shah, the cinematographer of Homebound, who has just deactivated his Instagram page after being accused of harassment and misconduct. The production company issued an official statement highlighting its adamant position against sexual harassment and assuring that there was no formal complaint lodged against Shah during his time with the project.
“At Dharma Productions, we have a zero-tolerance policy against such inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment against any such person working with us in any role, and we treat these cases very seriously,” the statement said. It clarified that Pratik Shah was a freelancer and had worked on Homebound for only a short span of time. “During this short span of time, our POSH internal committee didn’t receive any complaints against him from any cast or crew,” it added.
Allegations Emerge on Social Media
The matter came to light after independent filmmaker Abhinav Singh posted a public alert on Instagram, cautioning women against Shah. He also alleged that a number of women contacted him, reporting alarming incidences of Shah’s supposed predatory acts. Filmmaker and author Srishti Riya Jain also shared screenshots on her Instagram stories, claiming Shah had been guilty of misbehavior for the last four years.
Focus on ‘Homebound’ in Cannes
Homebound, starring Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor, and Vishal Jethwa, is the sole Indian feature to get screened in the high-profile Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The movie was greeted with a nine-minute standing ovation. Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra have produced it, along with Marijke de Souza and Melita Toscan du Plantier as co-producers.
The scandal has brought a cloud over the success of the movie, but Dharma assures that throughout production, due process was observed.
