Director Neeraj Ghaywan's 'Homebound' is one of the most-awaited films, and its 9-minute standing ovation at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival merely solidified its stature. Being the sole Indian feature film selected for Un Certain Regard this year, the audiences and its cast—Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter, and Vishal Jethwa—were quite excited for its Indian release and were awaiting further news of the movie. Instead, the film became infamous due to the presence of its DOP, Pratik Shah.

In a film industry known for its glamour and grandeur, an unsettling truth continues to fester behind the scenes when powerful men exploit their positions with impunity. Shah is now accused of sexual abuse and mental manipulation by several women on social media. The recent controversy surrounding Shah has reignited Bollywood’s #MeToo conversation, revealing a disturbing pattern of abuse, silence, and complicity. But this isn't the first time someone from the industry has been called out for behaviour that makes jail the only sensible place for them to be.

This article follows the trajectory of the accusations against the cinematographer, the Me Too movement in India and prominent names that were once accused but are still active in the industry.

Who is Pratik Shah?

Known for his work on films like Homebound, CTRL, and Jubilee, Pratik Shah was riding high on the success of the upcoming film Homebound. But ever since filmmaker Abhinav Singh shared a message on Instagram, women started to come out and openly accuse him.

In an Instagram post, Singh advised women in his network to be cautious around a particular cinematographer. He also offered to provide more information privately to anyone who reached out. But in a follow-up post, he revealed that the scale of the responses he received was 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 - fk you. His name is Pratik Shah. He's a cinematographer."

Soon after, an old blog post 2015 shared by News 18 Indian began gaining traction online. The blog, authored anonymously, doesn't name Shah directly, but the context and timing have led many to associate it with him. The writer, identifying herself as his former girlfriend, explained her decision to revisit the post by saying, "People need to know the truth."

Dharma Productions, which initially clarified: "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,” has now issued an official statement. "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. The makers have dropped him from the project and will now naturally look for a replacement before beginning production."

Director Vikramaditya Motwane and the film's team have reportedly dropped cinematographer Pratik Shah from the Sourav Ganguly biopic project following several allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse that surfaced online. The film, which will see acclaimed actor Raikummar Rao portraying the former Indian cricket captain, is currently in its pre- production stage.

Pratik Shah deactivated his Instagram account and hasn't responded publicly to any claims.

Known Culprits

The first high-profile case of sexual harassment in Bollywood was when Tanushree Dutta accused her fellow actor Nana Patekar of harassment, when shooting her film Horn Ok Please back in 2008.

Dutta said that during the shoot of 'Natha Ni Utaro' song, Nana Patekar touched her inappropriately, and no one helped her despite her cry for help on the sets. Dutta had already iterated that while she had filed an FIR about the incident a decade ago on the Nana Patekar starrer ‘Horn Ok Pleassss’ set, nobody came forward to support her. Janice Sequeira, journalist and anchor of the talk show 'Social Media Star', has penned a thread on X in September 2018 that supports Tanushree Dutta and corroborates the actress’s version of the story.

The #MeToo movement in India—which officially began in late 2018 and continues today—has made its mark on the government, media, and Bollywood cinema. In India, #MeToo is either a self-contained movement inspired by the international campaign against sexual harassment in the workplace or an affiliate of the American social movement "Me Too."

The movement gained traction in India with the global movement's popularity and later gained further momentum in October 2018 when actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. After Dutta's allegation, many women started speaking out in news media, Indian films, and the Indian government and have accused specific individuals of sexual harassment.

Anu Malik

Music composer Anu Malik faced multiple sexual harassment allegations from many women after various publications reported it. The two well-known names include Shweta Pandit, who accused him of unwarranted sexual advances when she was fifteen years old, as well as singers Sona Mohapatra and Neha Bhasin acknowledging Malik's inappropriate behaviour. Together with singer Caralisa Monteiro and Danica D'Souza, the former producer of Indian Idol, shared a similar story about Malik. Alisha Chinai supported these allegations amid earlier claims she had made against Malik in the 1990s: "Every word said and written about Anu Malik is true."

Malik ultimately stepped down as the judge from Indian Idol and in 2019 returned as a judge on Indian Idol but resigned because of all the offences caused to many of the women singers who had made allegations towards him. In January 2020, the National Commission for Women (NCW) closed the case, reportedly stating there was a lack of evidence. This was disputed by Mohapatra, who said she provided numerous testimonies to the NCW. The NCW also said they could reopen the case if they received any further corroboration. Malik returned to Indian Idol in 2021. By then, Mahapatra had already advertised their show, saying "trash loves trash." The accusations against Malik are still a crucial element of the #MeToo movement, but continue to parlay the moment where the entertainment industry is still facing scrutiny for accountability.

Sajid Khan

Director Sajid Khan faced accusations of sexual misconduct from several women, actresses, journalists and other industry workers. The allegations were disturbing because they described an ongoing abuse of power and inappropriate behaviour that had spanned years.

Saloni Chopra, a former assistant director, alleged that Khan persistently harassed her when she worked with him in 2011. She detailed that he asked humiliating questions, asked for bikini photos and made unwanted advances on multiple occasions. Actress Rachel White claimed Khan invited her to his house ostensibly to discuss a role in Humshakals, but when she arrived, he told her to seduce him and strip.

Journalist Karishma Upadhyay recounted meeting Khan for an interview, during which he exposed himself and "kissed" her forcibly. In a similar account, actress Simran Suri stated that during an audition for Himmatwala, Khan asked her to strip for him, and attempted to pull off her top when she declined. Actress Mandana Karimi noted that during a 'meeting' for Humshakals, Khan told her to strip, as part of the audition process.

Actress Aahana Kumra said that Khan asked her disgusting sexual questions, like whether `she will make a dog sleep with her for 100 crores`. Sherlyn Chopra claimed that Khan showed her his genitals in 2005 and asked her to rate his genitals. Marina Kuwar, Dimple Paul, and Karishma Khan (sister of late actress Jiah Khan) also accused him of flashing and inappropriate behaviour, in separate instances.

Sajid Khan resigned as the director of Housefull 4, even though he was accused of misconduct. The Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) suspended Khan for a year because Khan did not contest the accusations, and he admitted guilt. Although his suspension was lifted in 2019, he faced significant career challenges.

Alok Nath

Once known for his 'sanskari' memes that came out in 2013, veteran actor Alok Nath quickly became infamous following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

During the height of the #MeToo movement in India, writer-producer Vinta Nanda accused Nath of raping her during the 1990s in a Facebook post, where she recounted the incident. She alleged that Nath had drugged her drink and assaulted her after he had been kicked off the television show Tara for inappropriate behaviour toward the lead actress, Navneet Nishan. Nanda also said the assault happened more than once.

After Nanda disclosed her experience, actresses Sandhya Mridul and Deepika Amin came forward with their accounts of harassment by Nath. An unknown crew member from the film Hum Saath-Saath Hain accused him of his inappropriate behaviour, alleging that he had stripped in front of her while on set.

Actor Himani Shivpuri referred to Nath's behaviour as being "Jekyll and Hyde," stating that he was "sanskari" when sober and an issue when drunk.

In response to the allegations, Nath initiated a defamation lawsuit against Nanda, demanding a written apology and ₹1 in damages. At the same time, Nath was expelled from the Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) for not attending a meeting with the association's executive committee.

An FIR was registered against Nath by the Mumbai Police under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (rape), based on Nanda's complaint. In August 2019, the case was closed due to a lack of evidence.

Kailash Kher

Singer Sona Mohapatra accused Kher of inappropriate behaviour during a professional meeting, claiming he had placed his hand on her thigh and kept making unwanted advances.

Another female photojournalist described an encounter during one of Kher's interviews in his home, claiming Kher touched her inappropriately.

Singer Varsha Singh Dhanoa also spoke out and alleged that Kher had sent her inappropriate messages, including: "I want to make love to you".

Kher responded to the accusations, stating he was "disappointed" and that he does not remember doing anything of that sort. He apologised for anything that may have been "misconstrued," stating, "I am neither aware of the acts that were being mentioned there nor remember it."

Kher also commented on the nature of the accusations, indicating that allegations without a formal complaint are invalid; "Accusing without a formal complaint is not authentic.", stressing the need for due process; "Due process. Accusing without a formal complaint is not authentic."

Currently, Kher has no formal legal actions against him and continues pursuing his career in the music industry.

Vikas Bahl

'Queen' director Vikas Bahl faced sexual misconduct allegations from a former female employee of Phantom Films, his production company. The woman claimed Bahl sexually harassed her during a trip to Goa in 2015, when he touched her without consent after a party. She also stated that even after informing the other partners (Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena), nothing happened against him at the time.

After these allegations were made public during India’s #MeToo wave, Kashyap and Motwane issued statements disassociating themselves from Bahl, expressing disgust at his actions and lamenting their collective failure to ensure such action didn't happen. The allegations ultimately led to the dissolution of Phantom Films in October 2018 after seven years of operation.

Shortly thereafter, actress Kangana Ranaut accused Bahl of misbehaving while shooting Queen, stating Bahl would utter sexually suggestive remarks as he "buried his face in her neck." Additionally, Kangana noted that Bahl, who was married, would sometimes boast about having casual sex once every other day, with a new partner.

As a result, Bahl faced significant professional consequences. He was fired as the director of Super 30, and promotional material was adjusted to minimise his connection to it. However, in 2019, an internal committee ruled that Bahl had done nothing wrong because no evidence was found, and critics raised questions about institutional responsibility in Bollywood. He even directed films like 'Goodbye', 'Ganapath' and 'Shaitaan', showing that the accusations did not impact him.

The Takeaway

The resurgence of MeToo allegations in 2025, centered on cinematographer Pratik Shah, serves as a haunting reminder that the cultural and structural rot in Bollywood remains largely unaddressed. Despite the global MeToo movement opening floodgates in 2018, the industry has largely resumed business, with many of the accused facing minimal consequences and, in many cases, even returning to prominent positions within the industry.

What has become evident is the selective outrage and short-lived memory of the audience, industry and the doyens alike. When Amitabh Bachchan was asked about Tanushree Dutta's accusations on Patekar in a press event for 'Thugs of Hindoston' in September 2018, he replied "Na toh mera naam Tanushree hai na toh Nana Patekar, kaise uttar du aapke sawal ka?", inviting loud cheers and and claps from moronic audiences. Four years later, he worked in Vikas Bahl's 'Goodbye' film, which bombed at the box office.

Legal loopholes, PR strategies, or a lack of evidence blur the lines between justice and reputation in such cases. Survivors and victims, on the other hand, continue to bear the emotional burden and professional losses for speaking up. At the same time, the predators emerge with zero to minimal dents in their careers or reputations.

Even if Pratik Shah was dropped from an upcoming project, the action came days later when the accusations were fresh. This begs a question: Why do production houses wait until there's a public uproar to disassociate themselves from predators? Nana Patekar left Housefull 4 himself only to join Housefull 5. Isn't this normalising abusive behaviour and refusing to treat them as accused with enough proof?

Many people apply the incorrigible 'men will be men' logic, which is downright pathetic. In March 2025, a Mumbai court dismissed Tanushree Dutta's plea challenging the relief granted to Patekar in the MeToo case she filed against him, citing that the complaint was filed beyond the limitation period and had no mention of reasons behind the delay. Doesn't this embolden the perpetrator? Even though Dutta said she won't back down from the fight, this has severely affected her career compared to the accused.

For any industry reform, the people within need to overlook their 'creative boundaries' and create stricter policies that close the doors for any accused. This also includes strengthening internal POSH committees and enabling a platform for anonymity and safety for complainants.

Not just the industry but the audience must begin holding creators accountable. Doing so in a film scene is easy, but boycotting films of such predators is the only way for them to realise their mistake and a way to heal the industry.

A blockbuster is not worth silencing a survivor, ever! Moreover, no predator deserves applause just because the cameras are rolling!