Veteran actor Deepak Parashar has resigned from the Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) Executive Committee, citing repeated humiliation and misbehavior by the body’s president Poonam Dhillon. The actor, who served as the treasurer and former vice president of the organization, made the revelation in a recent interview, stating that he had attempted to resign twice before finally making his exit alongside ten other members.
The CINTAA crisis has deepened with multiple executive committee members stepping down, accusing the current leadership of running the actors’ body without democratic norms. Upasana Singh, CINTAA’s general secretary, has also come forward with serious allegations against Poonam Dhillon and senior vice president Padmini Kolhapure, describing their leadership style as “dictatorship”.
Deepak Parashar’s Humiliation and Resignation
Deepak Parashar alleged that Poonam Dhillon would regularly misbehave with him and shout at him during meetings. The actor, who has known Dhillon for 50 years, said the constant humiliation became unbearable.
Parashar revealed that he had tried to resign on two separate occasions before finally putting in his papers for the third time. He only agreed to stay initially when other members also decided to step down.
According to Upasana Singh, an incident during a CINTAA meeting highlighted the tense atmosphere. She recalled that Parashar, who is usually calm, was shouting and pleading, “Let me speak. Please listen to me.” In response, Poonam Dhillon allegedly told him, “Deepak ji, sit down!” Parashar eventually walked out of the room shouting.
When asked why Dhillon, despite their decades-old friendship, did not see eye to eye with Parashar, Upasana Singh remarked, “When you join CINTAA and get a position, that chair becomes more important”.
Eight Executive Committee Members Resign
The internal turmoil at CINTAA became public when eight elected members of the Executive Committee resigned with immediate effect on August 9, 2026.
The members who stepped down include:
- Hemant Pandey
- Mukesh Rishi
- Sahila Chadha
- Hetal Parmar
- Puneet Issar
- Vindu Dara Singh
- Vikas Verma
- Deepak Parashar
In their joint resignation letter, the members stated that they had lost confidence in the present manner of functioning and called for fresh elections.
According to the letter, the association had moved away from collective decision-making, consultation, and constitutional governance. The members alleged that decision-making had increasingly become concentrated around Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure.
Upasana Singh confirmed that a total of 11 members have resigned, including the eight elected committee members. She told ANI, “People only leave when they are deeply distressed”.
Allegations of Misuse of Position and Dictatorship
The resigning members leveled serious allegations against Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure, accusing them of misusing their positions and running the association unilaterally.
Upasana Singh, in a podcast interview with Vickey Lalwani, claimed that Dhillon and Kolhapure control the entire actors’ body with total disregard for democracy. She stated, “Poonam ji, Padmini ji, and their group send show-cause notices to those people who don’t say ‘yes, madam’ to them. Sending show-cause notices is their favourite thing to do”.
Singh also alleged that during both Annual General Meetings (AGMs) at CINTAA, no actor member was given a chance to speak during the zero hour. She claimed that a member named Neeta Jha was sent a show-cause notice simply because she asked for a microphone to speak in the meeting.
The allegations also include:
- Arbitrary issuance of show-cause notices
- Unauthorized changes to members’ roles
- Cancellation of actors’ membership cards without warning
- Making executive decisions and issuing communications to industry and government bodies without consulting the Executive Committee
Singh further claimed that Dhillon and Kolhapure visited government offices with private lawyers, falsely presenting them as authorized CINTAA legal representatives.
Deepak Parashar Cropped from Photo
Adding to the list of grievances, Upasana Singh revealed that Deepak Parashar was cropped from a photo taken at Hema Malini’s show. The photo that was uploaded on the CINTAA website only featured Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure.
Singh claimed that Padmini Kolhapure, who looks after inhouse media relations for CINTAA, decides whose photo is picked for the website and who gets to sit where in certain shows.
Leadership Response and Denials
Poonam Dhillon has denied all allegations against her and Padmini Kolhapure. In a recent interview after the CINTAA mess made headlines, Dhillon claimed that many “inappropriate and vulgar comments” were being made against her.
Responding to this, Upasana Singh said, “This is vulgar? This is reality… Why did you do a wrong thing at all? So many people resigned. Does that not matter at all? Vindu Dara Singh, Mukesh Rishi, Manoj Joshi, all these big actors have resigned. She must have done something (wrong)”.
Singh also revealed that she and Deepak Parashar were removed from all WhatsApp groups.
Background: CINTAA Elections and Leadership
The current CINTAA leadership was elected in May 2024. Poonam Dhillon was elected president, Padmini Kolhapure was appointed senior vice president, and Deepak Parashar was elected vice president.
Parashar had received 460 votes in the election, making him one of the prominent members of the Executive Committee.
The CINTAA, which represents cine and television artists, has been facing internal conflicts over governance issues, with the recent resignations marking a significant escalation in the ongoing dispute.
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The Growing Crisis
The resignations have put the spotlight on the functioning of CINTAA and raised questions about democratic processes within the organization. Upasana Singh emphasized that the members who resigned were not doing so lightly. She stated, “Even if some member is not coming to CINTAA often, how can you give their post to someone else? This is dictatorship, this isn’t democracy”.
Singh also mentioned that CINTAA has Rs 18 crore in its funds, raising further questions about financial transparency and governance.
The crisis continues to unfold, with the resigned members demanding fresh elections and a return to constitutional governance. The industry is closely watching how the situation develops and whether the leadership will address the concerns raised by the departing members.
As of now, Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure have not publicly responded to the specific allegations of misbehavior and humiliation raised by Deepak Parashar and Upasana Singh.
Also Read: CINTAA Members Resign and Complain Against Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure
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