3 weeks ago
Eight CINTAA Members Resign Amid Allegations Against Dhillon, Kolhapure
CINTAA is a club for actors who work in movies and TV shows, and its members vote to choose their leaders.
Eight elected members of the club's important team just quit their jobs all at once.
They say they lost trust in the way the club is being run.
They believe two leaders, Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure, make big decisions all by themselves instead of talking with the whole team.
The people who quit also said the two leaders brought private lawyers to official meetings and introduced them as CINTAA lawyers without asking anyone.
The club's secretary, Upasana Singh, said 11 people quit in total, and eight of them were elected leaders.
She also said it is not okay to send official club emails from a personal email account because it is not transparent.
The people who left are asking for fresh elections so that members can vote for new leaders.
The club's lawyer said the club has not shut down, and new people have been chosen to fill the empty spots.
So the club will keep working, even though some members are unhappy with how the leaders are acting.
Eight elected Executive Committee members of the Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) resigned with immediate effect, citing loss of confidence and demanding fresh elections.
The resigning members are Hemant Pandey, Mukesh Rishi, Sahila Chadha, Hetal Parmar, Puneet Issar, Vindu Dara Singh, Vikas Verma and Deepak Parashar.
The joint resignation letter alleged President Poonam Dhillon and Senior Vice President Padmini Kolhapure made unilateral decisions and represented the association without Executive Committee consultation, approval or knowledge.
General Secretary Upasana Singh confirmed 11 members resigned in total (eight of them elected EC members) and flagged official correspondence sent via personal email IDs as lacking transparency.
CINTAA counsel Advocate Suvigya Vidyarthi said the association has not been dissolved, noting the EC dissolves only if more than 50% of elected members resign, and called FWICE's intervention wholly untenable.
- Who
- Eight elected Executive Committee members of CINTAA — Hemant Pandey, Mukesh Rishi, Sahila Chadha, Hetal Parmar, Puneet Issar, Vindu Dara Singh, Vikas Verma and Deepak Parashar — who resigned, with allegations directed at President Poonam Dhillon and Senior Vice President Padmini Kolhapure; General Secretary Upasana Singh and Advocate Suvigya Vidyarthi responded.
- What
- Eight elected Executive Committee members resigned with immediate effect citing loss of confidence, alleging unilateral decision-making and misuse of positions, and calling for fresh elections.
- Where
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
- When
- Reported on August 9, 2026; the resignations were submitted with immediate effect.
- Why
- The resignees cited repeated departures from collective decision-making, consultation and constitutional governance, and alleged Dhillon and Kolhapure were misusing their positions.
Resigning Executive Committee Members
CINTAA Leadership / Official Response
Status of the Executive Committee
Resigning Executive Committee Members
The resigning members lost confidence in the body's functioning and called for fresh elections; a circulating version held that the CINTAA Executive Committee had been dissolved.
CINTAA Leadership / Official Response
CINTAA's Advocate Suvigya Vidyarthi said that version is 'totally wrong, misconceived and lacks any judicial sanctity' — per the Constitution, the EC dissolves only when more than 50% of elected members resign, which is not the case, and new members next in line by voting count have been inducted.
Leadership Conduct
Resigning Executive Committee Members
The resignees allege Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure misuse their positions by taking unilateral decisions, representing the association before government, quasi-judicial and industry bodies without EC approval, using personal emails for official correspondence, and bringing privately engaged lawyers introduced as CINTAA lawyers.
CINTAA Leadership / Official Response
CINTAA's official responses did not directly address the conduct allegations but maintained the association continues to function per its Constitution; General Secretary Upasana Singh confirmed the complaints were submitted.
Role of FWICE
Resigning Executive Committee Members
FWICE, reportedly acting on behalf of certain disgruntled individuals, issued directions regarding CINTAA's internal affairs.
CINTAA Leadership / Official Response
CINTAA considers FWICE's intervention as seeking powers not recognised under its constitutional framework and wholly untenable, stating such attempts cannot override the internal governance of an autonomous trade union.
Key facts
- Organization
- Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA)
- Resigned elected EC members
- 8 — Hemant Pandey, Mukesh Rishi, Sahila Chadha, Hetal Parmar, Puneet Issar, Vindu Dara Singh, Vikas Verma, Deepak Parashar
- Total resignations
- 11 members (8 elected Executive Committee members and 3 other members)
- Allegations against
- CINTAA President Poonam Dhillon and Senior Vice President Padmini Kolhapure
- Key demand
- Fresh elections
- Official response
- CINTAA not dissolved; EC dissolves only if more than 50% of elected members resign; new members inducted next in line by voting count; FWICE intervention called wholly untenable
- General Secretary
- Upasana Singh
- Date reported
- August 9, 2026
Quotes
CINTAA General Secretary Upasana Singh
Executive Secretary of CINTAA
“When a mail has to be sent to any organisation, we cannot send it through our personal mail ID if we want to send it officially. Here, Poonam ji sends her personal mail ID to the organisations and asks them to send it to her. She gains no benefit from it but there is no transparency.”
republicworld.com
“"Out of our 11 members, eight elected members have resigned and submitted their resignations to me. They have also submitted their complaints, stating that Padmini Kolhapure and Poonam Dhillon are misusing their positions."”
livemint.com
republicworld.com
indianexpress.com
NDTV
Letter of resigning CINTAA members
Collective statement from the eight resigning executive committee members
“The President, Poonam Dhillon, has repeatedly taken unilateral decisions, issued official communications through her ID to government officials and unilaterally decided communications to industry bodies, and represented the Association in public and with other government, quasi-judicial and industry bodies without the knowledge, consultation, and/or approval of the Executive Committee.”
republicworld.com
NDTV
Advocate Suvigya Vidyarthi
CINTAA legal representative
“The version which has been circulating that the EC of CINTAA is dissolved is totally wrong, misconceived and lacks any judicial sanctity. As per the Constitution of CINTAA, the EC shall dissolve only when more than 50% of the elected members of the EC resign, which is not the case at hand.”
indianexpress.com
NDTV
Sources
‘Poonam Dhillon, Padmini Kolhapure misusing positions’: 8 members resign
8 CINTAA Members Resign Amid Allegations Against Poonam Dhillon And Padmini Kolhapure
Mass resignation hits CINTAA: Why eight members quit the Poonam Dhillon-led actors body
8 CINTAA Members Quit Amid 'Lack Of Transparency' Allegations Against Poonam Dhillon, Padmini Kolhapure
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