CINTAA head Poonam Dhillon responds to Upasana Singh's allegations: 'Every penny raised is fully accounted for'

CINTAA's General Secretary Upasana Singh accused President Poonam Dhillon and VP Padmini Kolhapure of dictatorship amid association tensions. 

Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:31:26 IST

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Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) General Secretary Upasana Singh accused CINTAA President Poonam Dhillon and Senior Vice President Padmini Kolhapure of "dictatorship" amid allegations of prolonged tensions over the functioning of the association. Now, Poonam has responded to Upasana's allegations at a recent press conference.

'Every penny raised is fully accounted for'

As per a report in Deccan Chronicle, Poonam Dhillon defended her stance and addressed the allegations of financial irregularities. She said, ”Upasana Singh’s allegations are completely baseless and false. Every penny raised is fully accounted for and reaches its rightful beneficiary. Not a single rupee is used for personal gain. We have zero tolerance for anything illegal or unconstitutional. Our work stands on transparency, accountability and facts and the records speak for themselves”

Padmini Kolhapure also dismissed Upasana's allegations as untrue and said, ”The allegations made by Upasana Singh are entirely untrue and without basis. The funds we raise are handled with utmost responsibility and are directed to the people and causes they are meant for. They are never diverted for our personal use. We have always maintained a strict stand against anything unlawful or unconstitutional. Our only priority is to ensure that the purpose behind every contribution is honoured with complete integrity.”

Trouble at CINTAA

Earlier this month, 11 members of the 21-member Executive Committee resigned from CINTAA and called for fresh elections. The resignations were submitted to Upasana, and she accepted them in her capacity as General Secretary.

The members who resigned are Hemant Pandey, Mukesh Rishi, Sahila Chadha, Heta Parmar, Puneet Issar, Vindu Dara Singh, Vikas Verma and Deepak Parashar, among others.

The members had alleged that decision-making had increasingly come into the hands of CINTAA President Poonam Dhillon and Senior VP Padmini Kolhapure, along with some other members of the Executive Committee. The members also alleged that Dhillon had taken several key decisions independently, including communicating with government officials through her personal ID and deciding on communications with industry bodies through the association's official ID.

Speaking to , Upasana had shared that one of the key disagreements had been over the manner in which disciplinary action was allegedly being taken against artistes. She claimed that those who were not "yes ma'am" were issued show-cause notices.

She also said that, according to CINTAA's constitution, the resignation of at least half of the committee leads to its dissolution and fresh elections. However, she claimed that Poonam and her associates had not resigned. “Our constitution says that if more than half of the people resign, or even 50% resign, then our committee breaks down and re-election is announced. This is our constitution,” she said.

Upasana also pointed out that the association held an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) despite the committee having already been dissolved, further adding to the ongoing dispute over the functioning of CINTAA.

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