‘Cynical PR strategy’: IWCC says Pratik Shah’s ‘apology’ erases the women he abused, centers his own downfall

A day after cinematographer Pratik Shah issued an ‘apology’ for sexual abuse allegations against him, women in the industry made it clear they are not buying it. The Indian Women Cinematographers’ Collective did not hold back in their response.

IWCC posted a detailed statement on their Instagram account Thursday evening. They said it took Shah twelve months of silence, the loss of a high-profile Sourav Ganguly biopic, and getting quietly dropped from YRF’s Akka before he finally found his conscience.

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Their message was blunt. This was not an apology. It was calculated damage control, a desperate attempt at professional reinstatement dressed up as personal growth.

 

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Calling out the language of deflection

The collective pointed to something important about how abusers often talk their way out of accountability. They said Shah’s statement is a textbook example of how perpetrators of sexual misconduct use progressive, therapy-speak language to excuse themselves.

By wrapping predatory behaviour in the vocabulary of self-reflection, they said, Shah built a narrative asking people to feel sorry for him while completely erasing the women he harmed.

Naming the behaviour for what it is

The statement did not shy away from specifics. It said soliciting nude photographs and subjecting colleagues to emotional abuse are not symptoms of fragile ego. They are not confusing side effects of sudden fame either. They are deliberate, repeated abuses of power.

According to IWCC, framing predatory actions as a tragic flaw rooted in a need for validation is an attempt to downgrade the behaviour from predatory to merely pathetic. They also questioned his mentions of weekly therapy and continued sobriety calling these classic deflection tactics rather than genuine accountability.

Where are the women in his story?

One of the sharpest parts of the statement addressed who gets centered in Shah’s apology. The collective said his statement never directly addresses the fear, trauma, or derailed careers of the young women he targeted.

Instead, they said, he is grieving his own downfall. The women he harmed are treated as mere plot devices in the story of his stalled career, nameless and faceless collateral damage in what he frames as his personal journey toward growth.

A pattern, not a one-time mistake

IWCC also pointed to history that makes this apology harder to trust. They said Pratik Shah issued a similar apology five years ago after allegedly soliciting a nude picture from a young cinematographer.

Their conclusion was direct. An apology followed by repeated offenses is not an apology, it is a manipulation tactic used to avoid consequences. They noted his silence only broke once actual career consequences caught up with him.

The statement made a clear distinction about what real accountability looks like. True accountability is quiet. It means accepting consequences without demanding a swift return to power.

IWCC closed their statement with a line that has already started circulating widely. They said the industry must recognise this statement for exactly what it is. Not a plea for forgiveness, but a job application.

What Shah actually said

Shah addressed the allegations in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter India on Wednesday. He said he wanted to address the online allegations made against him last year. And, he described feeling ‘deep remorse’ for his mistakes and the hurt caused, both professionally and in past personal relationships.

He said he eventually realised that arguing over details did not change the reality of his mistakes. He took responsibility for the breakdown of his reputation and relationships, calling it a direct result of his own poor choices.

How the allegations started

Shah, known for his cinematography work on ‘Jubilee’ and ‘CTRL’, came under scrutiny after filmmaker Abhinav Singh publicly accused him of being highly manipulative and emotionally abusive. Singh claimed more than 20 women had reached out to him with allegations that Shah repeatedly crossed professional boundaries and steered conversations in inappropriate sexual directions.

IWCC had separately flagged Shah earlier after a junior cinematographer accused him of making inappropriate advances.