Fresh allegations against Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah have surfaced. His former partner has accused him of sexual and physical abuse. In a recent blog post, she shared disturbing details of the abuse.
This isn't the first time she has spoken up against Shah. She previously levelled allegations of sexual and physical abuse against Shah in a Facebook update from 2015.
Screenshot from the 2015 Facebook post.
Photo Credit: Facebook
While she doesn't name Shah directly in the blog, she said she is choosing to speak up again because "people need to know the truth".
The former girlfriend's detailed blog paints a harrowing picture of emotional manipulation, physical violence, and sexual abuse during their relationship.
The blog recounts a pattern of possessive and controlling behaviour, culminating in sexual assault. "That summer, he asked me for my Gmail and Facebook passwords, and in return gave me his. I remember the rage that flew through him when he saw that I had flirted with a guy over Facebook... He screamed in my face that he would kill himself," she writes.
She also details a chilling escalation of violence. "The day that I found out that he had been cheating on me was the day he pushed me into a shelf. I should've reported it then, when the neighbours called the police. I didn't."
The most serious charge is related to an incident on her birthday weekend, according to the blog post. "I won't get into the details of this situation that consumes me every day, but you get the point. 'No' wasn't an option," she writes, later adding, "That would have been considered rape if he wasn't my boyfriend."
"Never, in a million years, would I have thought I would be a 'survivor of abuse'," she writes.
Shah had most recently worked as director of photography on Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound, which premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.
Several allegations about Shah's inappropriate behaviour surfaced online last week, following Dharma Productions -- the banner behind Homebound -- distanced itself from Shah.
As these allegations resurfaced, sources confirmed that Shah has been dropped from the high-profile Sourav Ganguly biopic. Dharma Productions, reportedly associated with the film, issued a brief statement: "We stand firmly against any form of abuse or misconduct. The concerned individual is no longer associated with any of our upcoming projects."
Ghaywan is yet to issue a statement on allegations against Shah, who has deactivated his Instagram account since the controversy broke. The filmmaker on Monday shared an Instagram appreciation post for his Homebound team but skipped thanking the cinematographer.
This is not the first time Bollywood has had to reckon with allegations of abuse from within its ranks. The resurgence of this 2015 post echoes the wave of #MeToo accounts that flooded the industry in 2018, prompting renewed conversations about accountability and silence.
Pratik Shah is yet to respond publicly to the allegations.