A cut above

"HE REALLY put my songs into shape with scalpel and sharp cutting," said a fastidious Mumbai film-maker. Another from Kerala paid a rarer tribute, "He found new things in the footage I'd shot."

We have seen his name in the credits of Mani Ratnam's "Alaipayuthe", "Dum Dum Dum", and Farhan Akhtar's "Dil Chahta Hai". He is part of Santosh Sivan's grandiose "Ashoka the Great".

State and National awards for his work in "Raakh" (Hindi), "Raag Biraag" (Assamese), "Naukacharitramu" (English), "The Terrorist" (Tamil), "Vanaprastham", "Karunam" (Malayalam) tell their own story.

Lay film-goers may not know his name. But A. Sreekar Prasad (Nani to friends), reckoned one of the best film editors in the country today, inspires confidence in film-makers. They rely on his judgment and hands on skills to determine the narrative structure, plot continuity, emotional levels, and the pace of the film.

Prasad's fascination for editing began when he assisted his film editor father A. Sanjivi during the vacations. The college boy perceived that this was a creative process. Every film demanded its own balance of the ingredients. It was the editor who adapted the footage to audience expectations. With experience, he learned to feel that pulse, gauge that taste.

What makes editing so exciting? "Controlling emotion," Prasad replies. By determining how long - and from which angle - he can hold a visual in time, as also what comes before and after, "I discover the sustainable length of each feeling depicted in the film, from the strongest to the faintest. The fine tuning is arrived at in audio-visual manipulations."

Often, the director is too involved in his venture for the objectivity essential for post-production. That is where a good editor becomes invaluable. Many films end up with drastic differences from their scripts. The editor may shuffle, rearrange sequences for better narrative flow. "In the West, editors are involved through all stages of film-making, they have far reaching control," Prasad sighs. "Here we are called in only after the shooting is over. Sometimes even insiders think all we do is cut and slice. But do you know, a single visual I pull out from the footage to insert at a key moment can change the whole meaning of the sequence?"

For the viewer, the film is a story with a continuous flow, but for the editor it is a series of montages he has assembled. Every cut has cogent reasoning behind it. Prasad explains that sound is vital to the process, it underlines the visuals and the cuts.

Song and dance sequences with narrative and visual appeal give editors a chance to strike out different rhythms, to tease, tantalise the viewers with fantasy. But do the racy songs of today accommodate anything beyond fast forwarding visuals? "We try to reach certain moments of beauty in those dizzy spins,"he smiles. Some songs depend on presenting the right mood at the right moment of music. The editor has to match expression with melody to create a chiaroscuro of emotions.

"My job is to get the best performance from the actor and make the whole experience appear seamless," he says. Here is where long-term association with a director helps, because then Prasad knows exactly what is required in each scene. He counts himself lucky as he has had good vibes with his directors, though each one has his own approach to the editing table. Some work more closely with the editor than others.

Since Indian commercial cinema mostly follows the beaten track, Prasad accepts other challenges as well, as when he produced and edited Biju Viswanath's "Deja Vu" with British actors in the cast. "The Locarno festival director who saw it in Kerala said that technically the film easily met international standards, and without the credit titles no one could have known it was made in India."

He mentions "Dil Chahta Hai" as a film which, despite its box office focus, did have upmarket suavity. "I try to strike a balance between making money and satisfying my creative interests. I have done films in many languages, even in Nepali and Karbi."

Problems? "Lack of professionalism," he tells you at once. "Producers generally want the film to be released as soon as the last shot is canned. Not enough time for post-production work."

Did Prasad opt for editing due to circumstances, or was it a conscious choice? Breaking in before you complete the question "Nani" chuckles aloud, "It's an addiction!" But like anyone who is involved in any aspect of film-making, he too dreams of making his own film one day. No concrete plans, "It will happen sometime."

You are checking your notes on the man from Eluru, who sees himself as "Madrasi, Kodambaki", when he comes back to add with feeling, "You can't be in this line if your family doesn't support you. My wife not only understands my hectic schedule, but helps me in my work."

GOWRI RAMNARAYAN

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