Daily Times

Aarti Bajaj began her career as a film editor with Anurag Kashyap’s 2001 film ‘Paanch’. The talented young editor went on to cut more than 30 films in the years that followed. She is one of India’s most prolific and well-regarded film editors today. The roster of films edited by Aarti Bajaj includes Black Friday, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Jab We Met, Aamir, Rockstar, and Tamasha. Aarti recently cut British-Pakistani filmmaker Asim Abbasi’s feature film ‘Cake’, which is scheduled to be released on March 30, 2018. In an exclusive interview for the Daily Times, Aarti Bajaj talks to Ally Adnan about her career as a film editor, the art and craft of editing, cutting for Asim Abbasi, and a lot else.

How did you get into editing?

People have always fascinated me. I enjoy watching them. I used to employ a camera to watch, observe and record people. It was my plan to pursue photography professionally but that changed when I came to Mumbai and discovered editing. The medium of editing afforded all the pleasures of capturing people on camera and some. It allowed me to observe people in action, hear them talk, listen to them express themselves, see them interact with other, notice their idiosyncrasies, understand their personalities, and document their behaviour. I took up editing and continued to do what I had always enjoyed doing, which is watching people.

What do filmmakers look for when choosing editors?

I think they look for – and need – objectivity. Filmmakers are very rarely objective about their work. They tend to get very close to their work and often fall in love with their own films. This is charming but can hurt the very films that they love so dearly. A filmmaker needs an editor who can help him identify the strengths and weakness of the uncut film in a neutral, dispassionate and fair manner. The editor needs to be capable of being ruthless, unforgiving and objective without being dispassionate, detached and unemotional. The judgement of a good editor should never be clouded by feelings of love and attachment. To answer your question, filmmakers look for honesty, objectivity and skill in editors.

The film editor thinks in the absence of a genuine connection, the process of editing is just cutting and pasting; and not the art that it needs to be

What makes a good editor?

Great instincts.

A competent editor has very good instincts and forms a connection with the film being edited. In the absence of a genuine connection, the process of editing is just cutting and pasting; and not that art that it needs to be. A good editor forms an intellectual, knowing and sincere connection with films and cuts them with intelligence, skill and sensitivity. A capable editor makes sure that the film has the right rhythm and flows seamlessly. It is important that viewers enjoy the flow of the film without effort and with comfort and ease.

In the early days of Hollywood, almost all film editors were women. That has since changed but females continue to do very well as editors, perhaps more so than in any other behind-the-camera positions. Indeed, female editors, from Margaret Booth to Tatiana S. Riegel, have made huge contributions to the field of editing. Do you feel that women have an advantage over men in the field of editing?

I think they do because they generally have better instincts than men and are often more sensitive, perceptive and observant. That being said, I have to admit that my favorite editor, Walter Murch, is male.

What is it that you like about Walter Murch’s work?

Walter Murch is the best in his field. He has, almost singlehandedly, established the importance of editing in film. He cuts in a manner that affects viewers emotionally. In his 1995 book, In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, he urges film editors to prioritise emotion, feeling and passion over everything else. That is his theory and I subscribe to it unreservedly.

Murch is a very fine sound editor as well. In fact, his name is synonymous with impeccable sound design. He took sound editing and engineering to new heights with Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 film Apocalypse Now. From the sound of a boat sailing in still waters to the whirring of a ceiling fan moving slowly, from the cacophonous clatter of helicopters flying at low altitudes to the thunderous noise of exploding bombs, he captured it all and ushered in a new era of sound in cinema with the film.

I am not a sound engineer but, like Murch, consider it to be of paramount importance. I incorporate and consider sound, especially music, in my work as an editor. I always keep it in my head and remain cognizant of sound as I cut and create transitions between scenes.

In your career as an editor, you have cut a large number of films, across a number of genres. Do you have a favorite genre?

Yes, I do. It is drama. I like it because it focuses on people, their psyches and their relationships. I also love cutting thrillers. I enjoy their energy.

In my career as an editor, I have always chosen projects very carefully and picked ones that I connect with both emotionally and intellectually. Genre has never been a deciding factor for me to do a film. I am drawn to a film by its ability to resonate with me. Its genre does not matter. I can edit a film of just about any genre as long as it is good and allows me to form a connection with it.

How is editing different for different genres of film?

The different genres of film require totally different styles of editing. Each has its own, very specific, demands, needs and requirements. A good editor understands these and the requisite pace, emotion and structure of each genre.

The different methods of cutting different genres of film are not clear-cut. They vary from film to film, even within the same genre, because each film is unique and has its own language, pace and sensibility. Timing is very important in comedy. Pacing is vital in thrillers. Emotion is paramount in drama. Passion is key for love stories. These are, however, generalisations. The correct answer to your question is that each and every film is different and needs to be cut differently.

Do you ever experience editor’s block, when, no matter what you do, you cannot cut a scene to your satisfaction?

Yes, I do.

I believe that all artists deal with a creative block at one point of time or another.

How do you deal with editor’s block?

I have found that disassociating myself from the film temporarily, moving away a little, and looking at it from different, previously unexplored, angles helps deal with editor’s block. I continue at it until I regain my rhythm and get to the proverbial aha moment, where there is a sudden burst of insight and discovery. Editor’s block, for me, is a mildly annoying and, fortunately, not a debilitating problem.

When you edit a film, is your goal to realise the director’s vision as best as you can, or do you try to create the film yourself to some extent?

I work with both goals in mind. They are not mutually exclusive.

I always try to realise the director’s vision to the best of my ability. The film belongs to the director. I try to help him tell the story effectively. There are, however, times when I interpret scenes in a manner that is different and have a vision that is not the same as that of the director. I share my views and ideas with the director as such times. This results in the most wonderful kind of collaboration with the director. I love discussing new and novel ways of cutting scenes and shaping films with director. Discussions that are cooperative, out-of-the-box and inspired are hugely beneficial.

Are you a closet director?

Yes, I am. I think all good editors are closet directors.

A good working relationship between the editor and filmmaker is considered important but not always possible. What are the reasons behind failed relationships between editors and filmmakers?

There are many reason behind failed relationships between editors and filmmakers but the biggest one is the clash of egos. One’s ego must never come into play when working together on any project.

You were married to one of India’s most celebrated film directors, Anurag Kashyap, at one time, and edited his films. Did you find cutting for your husband difficult?

No.

Cutting his films was never difficult for me. I still edit his films. He is a very capable director and one can learn a lot from him. My first film as an editor was Anurag Kahsyap’s Paanch. It was a great learning experience from me. I feel that I brought a lot to the table in Paanch but Anurag’s guidance and coaching was invaluable. He is a good teacher. He is also open to new ideas and suggestions. I have always enjoyed working with him.

Why was ‘Paanch’ never released commercially?

The Central Board of Film Certification had issues with the language of the film and its depiction of drug use and violence. The film was cleared eventually, albeit after some cuts, but could not be released due to other reasons. It has been shown at several film festivals and received great praise and commendation.

How did you become involved with Asim Abbasi’s ‘Cake’?

Asim Abbasi approached me to edit Cake and sent me an eight-minute-long cut from his film. I fell in love with the cut and told him that I would be very happy to edit the film. I normally do not agree to cutting a film without reading the entire script but, in the case of Cake, I let my instincts guide me. I know that Asim was also talking to some other editors at the time and am not sure why none of them were selected. I am just glad that I signed on to edit Cake.

The trailer of Cake was released recently and received great reviews. Did you cut the trailer?

I did not cut the trailer of Cake and cannot take credit for the great reviews it has received. I must say that the reviews are well-deserved.

Cake was shot in Pakistan. The film’s director and producer lives in London and you are based in Mumbai. Was managing logistics for the project difficult?

No, it was not difficult at all. Communication, information sharing and collaboration were never a problem. Technology has made a lot of things easy and convenient. I did the initial work on Cake in Mumbai and the rest, with Asim Abbasi, in London. It was a piece of cake!

At what stage of production did you start working on Cake?

I got involved with Cake after most of the film had been shot. I usually get involved with a film right at the start. It was different for Cake.

What did you think of Cake when you first read the script?

I liked the script. It connected with me on a deep level. I loved the depiction of familial relationships in the story. I believe that I understand personal relationships well and cut films dealing with them very effectively. It is probably my forte.

When you started editing Cake, did you work from the script and storyboard, or from the shot scenes?

I worked from the shot scenes. I asked many questions and used Asim Abbasi’s answers as my guide. Editing Cake was fun.

Is an editor able to finesse the performances of actors through the cut?

Yes, absolutely. A good editor does that all the time. A certain gesture, one facial expression, a connection of the eyes, a single body movement, and a lot of ostensibly simple elements can change the meaning of an entire scene. The right cut, at the right time, can elevate the level of a performance and enhance the emotional impact of a scene. The wrong one can, of course, ruin a scene.

Cake was shot with live sound. Does using synch sound make editing more difficult?

It does not do that for me. I have a lot of experience editing films shot with live sound.

What was working with debutante feature film director Asim Abbasi like? Was he fastidious about edits or did he trust you with the whole process?

Cake is Asim Abbasi’s feature film but he has made a number of short films in the past. He understands filmmaking and the process of working with an editor very well. I did not find him to be fastidious at all; a little punctilious, maybe, but certainly not fastidious. We worked well as a team because both of us had respect for each other. Trust works both ways. He displayed tremendous trust in me. I responded with the same. We worked together to make the right decisions for the film.

You have edited a large number of highly celebrated Indian films. How does Cake rank against these films?

It ranks very well and holds its own against Indian films.

Is Cake similar to Indian films, in general, and Kapoor and Sons, in particular?

Cake is not similar to any of the Indian films that I have seen and I have seen a lot. I do not know why it reminds some people of Kapoor and Sons. It is nothing like Shakun Batra’s film.

Is Cake a good film?

Yes, it is.

The writer lives in Dallas and writes about culture, history and the arts. He tweets @allyadnan and can be reached at allyadnan@outlook.com

Published in Daily Times, March 3^rd 2018.