Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ post excluded cinematographer Pratik Shah amid sexual misconduct allegations. Pratik, accused by over 20 women and flagged by the Indian Women Cinematographers’ Collective, was dropped from a Sourav Ganguly biopic. Dharma Productions stated Pratik was a freelancer with no complaints during his limited work on the film.
Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s recent social media update on his film ‘Homebound’ sparked conversations as it notably excluded any reference to cinematographer Pratik Shah, who is currently facing sexual misconduct allegations. This has led to speculation about the filmmaker’s stance on the controversy and reflects the growing sensitivity within the industry regarding such serious accusations.Neeraj Ghayawan’s Instagram post skips Pratik ShahFollowing the release of the trailer, Neeraj posted on Instagram about the film, saying, “Let everything happen to you. Beauty and Terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Presenting the trailer of our film Homebound. In cinemas on 26th September. Here are the wonderful people who were part of this Homebound journey.” While he tagged many cast and crew members, Pratik’s name, though shown in the trailer’s end credits as the cinematographer, was notably absent. Allegations against Pratik Shah grow, leading to professional falloutPratik, who worked on films like ‘Jubilee’ and ‘CTRL’, has been accused of bad behaviour by many people. Filmmaker Abhinav Singh said that more than 20 women said Pratik made professional talks uncomfortable by turning them into sexual matters. The Indian Women Cinematographers’ Collective also raised concerns after a young cinematographer said Pratik made unwanted advances. Because of these issues, Pratik was dropped from a new Sourav Ganguly biopic.Dharma Productions issues statementDharma Productions, the producers of Homebound, responded with an official statement regarding the matter. They emphasized their strict policy against inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment, stating, “At Dharma Productions, 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.” They also clarified Pratik Shah’s role in the project, saying he was a freelancer who worked for a limited time and that “His engagement with us has been completed.” The statement added that during his time with the film, “our internal committee for POSH didn’t receive any complaints against him from any cast or crew on our film Homebound.”
