Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah deletes Instagram amid abuse allegations; multiple women share stories

Filmmakers Abhinav Singh and Srishti Riya Jain amplified complaints of abuse against cinematographer Pratik Shah on Friday. Here's what happened.

Cinematographer Pratik Shah, known for his work on Jubilee, CTRL and Homebound, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, has been accused of abuse and inappropriate conduct. Independent filmmaker Abhinav Singh took to Instagram to amplify accusations of abuse against Pratik, indirectly describing him as ‘highly manipulative’ and ‘emotionally abusive’.

Cinematographer Pratik Shah has been accused of inappropriate behaviour.

The accusations against Pratik Shah

Abhinav first wrote a note of warning on his Instagram, asking his female friends to be wary of the cinematographer. He also asked them to reach out to him on DM should they wish to know more information.

A few hours later, he wrote, “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 who are still employing him – f**k you. His name is Pratik Shah. He’s a cinematographer.”

A screen grab of Abhinav Singh's Instagram stories.

Abhinav wrote that numerous women reached out to him about the cinematographer since then, writing, “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.”

Filmmaker-writer Srishti Riya Jain also posted a series of screengrabs on her Instagram stories, claiming that Pratik has ‘been on the prowl since 4 years’. She highlighted accusations on Reddit against Pratik ‘sliding into every girl’s DMs’. “To everyone pretending to act shocked, scandalised, and suddenly awoken from their slumber… THIS man worked on one of the ‘most empathetic’ films of the year — or so the interviews at Cannes claimed,” she wrote.

A screengrab of Srishti Riya Jain's Instagram stories.

Pratik Shah deletes Instagram account

Since the controversy broke on Instagram, Pratik has deactivated or deleted his account. When searched, his account shows a ‘Sorry, this page isn't available’ message. The cinematographer hasn’t addressed the allegations against him at the time of writing. However, many on social media continue to call for accountability if the allegations are true.

THR India reported that Pratik faced similar allegations four years ago when a young cinematographer filed a complaint against him in the Indian Women Cinematographers’ Collective (IWCC) after he solicited her for a nude picture. He had apologised to her back then, reportedly calling it a ‘one-off incident’ and was left off with a warning.