Q .1 How your academic knowledge of management helped you in the Art of Editing?
Aseem Sinha ~ First of all, I will have to elaborate to reply this question. I was doing Post Graduate diploma in Social Services socialization in rural development from Xavier Institute of social services, Ranchi. During the course I had to go to the remote villages to understand the socio-economic structure of the society. I was also doing research and the subject was ‘Cinema as a vehicle of consciousness in rural development’. To know more about the subject I had joined Film Appreciation course conducted by National Film Archive of India in Pune. There I watched and analysed Shyam Benegal's films like Nishant, Manthan, Sushman and many more films. That helped me a lot in understanding the cinema in context to rural development and life in general. I think we should use Cinema as a change agent.
In Editing, you will have to be systematic and the same rule goes for management . One has to keep the rushes in order and in the same way society has to be understood. Thus the management helped me to understand editing, film, society and myself.
Q2 . What was your most significant experience with Shyam Benegal in terms of work?
Aseem Sinha : I passed out from FTII, Pune in 1989 and I started working with renowned film Editor Renu Saluja. At that time she was editing Ketan Mehta’s ‘Sardar’ and the film was being produced by Shyam Benegal Films. There I came in contact with Mr Benegal . He gave me the chance to edit his film ‘Mammo’ and later I edited all his film and serials.
He has a very good sense of observation and detailing. All his scripts are well researched. He is also very open minded. I remember one incident when I was editing Mammo, He came to the editing room to see the film. After seeing the complete film he asked my opinion. I was very new and young, even then I told him that these three scenes are not working. He asked me for a couple of days. After three days he told me to delete those scenes.This is the quality that makes you great. He does not like ambiguity.
Number of times he asks me why you have edited like this, and I have to give him the correct logic. He gives me total freedom. One more experience I would like to share. I was editing Zubeida. There was a lullaby song. Initially he told me to take it out. While we were remixing the film, I told him sir we must keep it, otherwise we are missing the essence of the film. Then he just stopped the mixing and the very next day he told me to add the song. This openness is required in creative field. He gave freedom and space to everyone, to the cameraman, to the writer, to the actor, to sound designer.He believed that filmmaking is a team work.
Q3. What type of experience you have got related to Assam?
Aseem Sinha : I went to Assam for number of times. I went to teach as a teacher to the Bhupen Hazarika Regional Film and Television Institute to interact with student to share experiences. The students were very inquisitive and hardworking. I went to Guwahati as Jury Chairman of Chalachitram National Film Festival. There I watched a good number of films made by Assamese young filmmakers. Those were well conceived and beautifully made. At that time, I went to visit Kaziranga, enjoyed elephant safari, watched rhino from a close distance. I would like to visit Assam again and again.
Q4. You have edited two films based on poetry. Would you love to share the experiences gathered with the films?
Aseem Sinha : One film is BOHUBRITTA in Assamese directed by Utpal Datta. It is a poem by Swapna Dutta Deka and she herself recited the poem also. It had been beautifully captured by director with the mix of traditional and modern elements, nicely played with colour and visual forms and its a spiritual experience.
The second film is ‘THE PHOPHOGRAPHER’ directed by cinematographer Mazhar Kamran. It is based on eight poems by Rumi. It was structured in a narrative form keeping in mind the character and the story in a cinematic way. This was a struggle between real and unreal world. The screenplay is very vibrant and nicely shot. I enjoyed editing both the films, both are very different in theme and essence.
