Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions has issued a statement distancing itself from cinematographer Pratik Shah, following multiple allegations of abusive behaviour made against him on social media. Shah had worked on the production house’s upcoming film Homebound as a freelancer for a limited period.

The controversy erupted after filmmaker Abhinav Singh posted a series of Instagram stories accusing an unnamed cinematographer of being “highly manipulative” and “emotionally abusive”. Singh later identified the person in question as Shah, claiming he received “numerous” messages from women sharing similar experiences after his initial post.

“The number of women who’ve reached out to me is honestly frightening,” Singh wrote. “I feel like I’m having a Margot Robbie moment from Bombshell. I will not be silenced. His name is Pratik Shah. He’s a cinematographer.”

Shah, known for his work on Vikramaditya Motwane’s series Jubilee and Netflix film CTRL, has since deleted his Instagram account and has not issued any statement on the issue.

In a statement on Saturday, Dharma Productions clarified Shah’s limited association with them and said that no formal complaints had been received during his time on the project.

“At Dharma Productions, we have a zero-tolerance policy against inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment towards any individual working with us in any capacity, and we treat sexual harassment cases very seriously,” PTI quoted the production banner.

“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,” the statement added.