A good edit is like a game of poker

Recently, Mumbai-based editor Sanyukta Kaza partnered with director-writer Anand Tiwari and co-writer Sumeet Vyas again for Love Per Square Foot (LPSF), a Netflix release. The feature is the latest in a string of their collaborations, which includes short films like Oye Teri (2013) and Haircut (2014); and the webseries Bang Baaja Baaraat (2015). The projects have ensured Kaza about the trio’s compatibility and how easily adaptable they are to each other’s styles.

LPSF also marks the first in the streaming giant’s repertoire of Indian originals and is markedly different from Kaza’s earlier feature film experience. Take, for instance, her work on Anurag Kashyap’s collaborative project, the murder-mystery The Last Act (2012), or Anand Gandhi’s philosophical drama, Ship of Theseus (2013). LPSF stands in contrast as a romcom, following the unlikely love story that blossoms between two individuals faking a marriage to buy an apartment in Mumbai. Over an email, Kaza talks about editing LPSF, who carries the creative vision behind a film, and how misogynistic attitudes must change for creative collaborations to thrive. Excerpts from the interview:

I believe that filmmaking is a deeply collaborative process. Everyone is working towards turning the director’s and writer’s vision into the best film. But to be able to do that, one has to take a piece out of their heart and give it away to every film they [work on]. It is a personal and emotional investment from everyone who chooses to [get involved] sincerely in the project. I feel it’s not right to call it [one person’s] film. [That’s] pretty narcissistic. I am fortunate that most filmmakers I have worked with value and credit everyone’s contribution quite openly.

I absolutely despise when people make a mockery of a religion or a community, which is very common in our everyday lives and in our popular culture. In LPSF though, Ratna Pathak Shah’s or Kunal Roy Kapoor’s [performances are] very controlled and well handled. They are being true to the character and the community they are portraying without playing to any stereotype for the sake of cheap humour. Since Anand [Tiwari] is from a theatre background, he is fantastic at picking his cast and getting the best performances out of them. The most challenging part of the film was making sure there was a healthy balance between the love story, the plot, the subplots, and the humour — especially all the little nuances that gives life to the film.

I always read the script and then speak at length with the director on his vision. I love to go under the skin of the characters, [and] understand where they come from — [it] helps me build them through the film. As a result, I am able to see loopholes, if there are any, in how a character behaves or if the established logic of the film is being broken at some point in the narrative. And that is my job too. To spot these things and either eliminate them or hide them in a way that the film seems absolutely coherent. I also make a lot of notes through all stages of the process. I try not to re-read the script as I do like to start with a clean slate by the time the footage comes to me.

[An editor must have] sensitivity towards rushes and performances, [the] ability to understand emotional logic which can be broken down to understand what effect a certain editing choice would lead to, [an openness] to experimentation, [and] a need to find solutions before you start complaining about what all is wrong with the footage. I absolutely enjoy Sally Menke’s style of cutting. She has cut each of her films with such style and arrogance. She never followed any rules in her editing; you can see she did what she wanted with such unabashed technique, rhythm, and style. Her work in Kill Bill (2003-04) and Inglorious Basterds (2009) is astounding. I did have a chance to take a class with her. It’s unfortunate that she is no more.

An editor needs to be extremely intuitive. I usually don’t go by the book. To me, a good edit is one that surprises me, like in a game of poker where no one knows what the next card is. But there is no harm in presenting a character in a linear way. Our first cut for LPSF was around 180 minutes long and no one really watches such long films any more. I had to take out some really funny scenes and one wonderfully choreographed song [called] ‘Thumri remix’. Anand has promised me he will release the song on YouTube someday. I hope he does.

An editor gets to see the first cut before everyone else on the crew which is the fun part of the job. There is one scene in Ship of Theseus which I thoroughly enjoyed — in the stockbroker’s story when the car is stuck in Chuim Village in Bandra. In the middle of that, two characters are talking about ethical duties. It was both hysterical and dynamic. Also, in LPSF there is a scene when Kunal Roy Kapoor, Ratna Pathak Shah, and Angira Dhar are confiding in each other. The scene has such solid performances with so much going on at the same time.

Thelma Schoonmaker once said as an editor, ‘you have to keep banging away at something until you get it to work. I think women are maybe better at that’. Because men in the country are anyway trained from birth to not take women who think or work, seriously. So the only way for us to get heard and acknowledged is to keep banging away till they have no choice but to sit and hear us [out]. General stereotyping like women can’t drive, can’t be thinkers, good at maths, or technically strong, is very common. As a community, we aren’t really aware or teach our kids how to function around women. We are quite regressive in general and our popular culture is a reflection of that. The only way to deal with it is by fighting it every day by making noise about it, by calling people out, by doing our job in the best possible way, by learning every day, by working harder than everyone else, by being sincere and diligent at your work, by having a strong ethical code for yourself, by fighting for your credit, your pay, and most importantly by fighting for your right to just be and be seen and be heard. I think we have a good number and quality of female editors in the industry. And I guess all of them fight it every day and come out victorious every time.

I just completed editing the VFX heavy epic Tumbad that has been directed by Rahi Barve and produced by Little Town Films. But I worked closely with the co-director of the film, Adesh Prasad. It’s a thrilling period fantasy drama with elements of horror in it, [that’s] expected to release this year. It was such a joy to cut this film. It’s one of those films where you could safely say that it has been made on the table, through post-production. And the result is truly outstanding! The film has over 50 minutes of VFX which is currently being completed in Sweden by the same [people] who do VFX for Lars von Trier's films. I am also doing a short by Avalokita Dutt whose writing has a strong female voice put across in the most nonconformist way.