Aug 11, 2026 5:39pm IST
Poonam Dhillon on CINTAA Row: ‘Our Committee Remains Fully Active and Legitimate’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Poonam Dhillon has broken her silence on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Cine and TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA), rejecting allegations of financial irregularities and defending the functioning of the current committee. In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, the actor and CINTAA president maintains that the committee has followed the organization’s constitution and that all financial transactions were conducted transparently.
What is your reaction to the allegations?
My only reaction is: what would I do for personal gain while sitting on CINTAA? It took up so much of my time and energy that I had to turn down event assignments. My family was upset with me over the amount of time I was giving to CINTAA. These allegations are baseless and, in my view, are being driven by people with vested interests. Our Executive Committee was simply trying to implement the resolutions passed by CINTAA members at the May 1 AGM.
For more than a decade, Cine Artists Welfare Trust (CAWT) has complicated what should have been a simple agreement, despite CINTAA advancing it a substantial amount of money to build the CINTAA Tower. We were simply asking CAWT to commit to these fundamental welfare obligations by the August 15 deadline. Now, some members of the EC have resigned from their positions, and those vacancies have been filled in accordance with the CINTAA constitution. I am deeply disappointed that some trustees who were also CINTAA EC members appeared more concerned about CAWT than CINTAA. They have truly hurt the organization.
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How do you address the allegations that expenses were not explained and questions from committee members were not answered?
These allegations are completely baseless. At CINTAA, not a single rupee can be withdrawn without two authorized signatures — those of the treasurer and either the general secretary or the president. All transactions were conducted transparently through official bank cheques and never in cash. When we raised more than ₹1.5 crore through an event, the money was initially intended for the Cine Artists Welfare Trust (CAWT). However, when CAWT backed out of handling the event expenses, we divided the incoming funds accordingly.
The entire “unaccounted funds” controversy is actually about donor privacy, not missing money. Padmini Kolhapure, other senior members and I approached our families, long-time friends and well-wishers for donations. Many agreed to contribute only on the condition that their identities remained confidential, as they generally do not donate to charities publicly. When certain individuals demanded copies of our donor lists and contact details, we refused because we wanted to protect our donors’ privacy. We invited members to our office to inspect the financial records in person, but we would not share private contact information. That donor list is what they were seeking.
So, what is the status of CINTAA now?
Our committee remains fully active and legitimate. I am still the president. Upasana Singh led the push to dissolve the committee. Rakesh Bedi, Paintal, Padmini Kolhapure and I repeatedly requested that any decision on dissolution be delayed by just one week, until after the August 15 deadline. We wanted to complete two crucial tasks that the general body had already approved. However, they refused. Their priorities, in my view, lay with the trust rather than CINTAA.
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