Homebound Director Neeraj Ghaywan Omits DoP Pratik Shah's Name From Gratitude Post Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations, Sparks Controversy

Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor’s film Homebound has been selected as India’s official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category, the chairperson of the 12-member selection committee, N Chandra, announced on Friday. Amid this, director Neeraj Ghaywan posted a message of gratitude on social media, thanking the cast and crew in the caption, but he notably left out cinematographer Pratik Shah, who is currently facing sexual misconduct allegations.

Neeraj Ghayawan's gratitude post skips Pratik Shah

After the trailer's release, Neeraj shared a post on Instagram about the film, writing, "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." He tagged several cast and crew members, but Pratik's name was missing, even though the trailer's end credits listed him as the cinematographer. A few people noticed this in the comments and pointed out that the maker had skipped mentioning Pratik.

Also Read: India's Chance At Oscars: Homebound Heads To 98th Academy Awards As Official Entry In Best International Feature Film category

What is DoP Pratik Shah’s controversy about?

Pratik Shah made to the headlines after facing several allegations of inappropriate behaviour. According to reports, filmmaker Abhinav Singh stated that more than 20 women accused Pratik of crossing professional boundaries during conversations that became sexual. The Indian Women Cinematographers’ Collective (IWCC) had also reportedly flagged him earlier after a young cinematographer complained to a senior member about inappropriate advances. Reports further claim that, due to these controversies, he was removed from the upcoming Sourav Ganguly biopic.

On Friday, the Film Federation of India, chaired by N. Chandra, selected it as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards, choosing it from 24 films in various Indian languages.