Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions have issued a statement on allegations of sexual abuse against cinematographer Pratik Shah. Pratik, who has worked on high profile projects like Jubilee (2023), CTRL (2024) and more recently on Dharma Production's Homebound, was recently accused of being “highly manipulative” and “emotionally abusive” by independent filmmaker Abhinav Singh, who stated that his allegations are based on the testimonies of multiple women.
Times of India quoted their statement, “At Dharma Productions, we have a zero tolerance policy against inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment towards any individual working with us in any capacity, and we treat sexual harassment cases very seriously.”
It further read, “Mr. Pratik Shah was a freelancer on the project Homebound and was working on it for a limited period. His engagement with us has been completed. During this limited period, our internal committee for POSH didn’t receive any complaints against him from any cast or crew on our film Homebound.”
Taking to Instagram, Abhinav wrote about Pratik, saying “To my female friends: Please be cautious around a certain cinematographer I've encountered-he's highly manipulative and emotionally abusive based on my personal experience. If you want details, feel free to DM me.”
In his subsequent stories, Abhinav shared Pratik’s identity. He said that over 20 women reached out to him sharing stories of their troubling encounter with Pratik. “I’ve spoken out, and now I’m hearing from others — people who’ve felt silenced or sidelined. It’s heartbreaking. The patterns are undeniable. Many have called him a predator,” he said.
As per a report by The Hollywood Reporter India, Pratik had come under the scanner over four years ago when a young cinematographer had complained against him to a senior member of the Indian Women Cinematographers’ Collective (IWCC) after Pratik had asked for a nude photo.
Since the call out by Abhinav, Pratik has deleted his Instagram account. There has been no statement issued by him in the matter.
