Pratik Shah

Biography

Pratik Shah is an American Cinematographer, Writer, and Gaffer who predominantly works in the English and Hindi film industry. He was born on 27 December 1988 and grew up in the town of Dallas, Texas. Pratik Shah’s father’s name is Vijay Shah, and his mother is Mugadha Shah. 

As his mother was also an actress, she played a pivotal role in nurturing his creative aspirations. When Pratik Shah expressed his desire to pursue a career in the film industry, both his parents wholeheartedly endorsed his decision.

Their encouragement and belief in their son have been instrumental in shaping his path to success. After completing his general schooling, Pratik Shah enrolled at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC. Here, he pursued his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and eventually majored in Fine Art Photography. 

Pratik Shah has a strong passion for visual storytelling, which steered him toward cinematography. He then chose to pursue his master’s degree in fine arts from UCLA in Los Angeles with a specialization in cinematography.

Before getting into the film industry, Pratik Shah worked as an intern for companies like Kreutz Photography and Variable. He has published work for The Washington Post and The Washington Times and has been recognized by the National Press Photographers Association for his multimedia work. 

He made his debut as a cinematographer in 2013 with the film ‘After The River.’ He has since gone on to work on many other films and TV series such as 'Seth' (2015), 'My Strat' (2016), 'Strangers in the Night' (2016), 'What the Hell?' (2017), 'The Night Cleaner' (2017), 'Mid-City Blue' (2018), 'Walter' (2018), 'Kaafir' (2019), 'Divine: Kohinoor' (2019), 'Interlude' (2019), 'Soft & Pink' (2019), 'Yeh Saali Aashiqui' (2019), 'Smell of Summer' (2020), 'The Sleepwalkers' (2020), 'Chingum' (2021), and 'Jubilee' (2023). 

In 2023, Pratik Shah won the IWM Digital Award for Best Cinematography in a Web Series for ‘Jubilee.’

Pratik Shah has also been a part of the film crew for movies like 'Distant Vision' (2016), 'Rolling' (2016), 'Bamboleo' (2018), 'Cupid's Paradise' (2018), 'Like a Dream' (2019), 'It Happened Like This' (2019), 'The Way You Look Tonight' (2019), and 'The Videographers' (2019). Besides this, he is the writer for the short film ‘Walter’ (2018) and co-writer for ‘After The River’ (2013). 

In 2010, Pratik Shah set up his own company under the name Pratik Shah Cinematography. His creative vision and dedication have left a significant impact on the film industry.