Editing of Indian Films thrives to be the main focal point of making a film. "The director prepares the menu, brings the ingredients, and knows what he wants the final dishes to look and taste like, the editor is the cook" Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Film Editing is a distinct art form, which contours the film. It is an art of story telling. Editing of Hindi Films is a long practiced art of conveying the story of the film by connecting shots together to form a film Editing process includes the act of connecting two or more shots together to form a sequence, and subsequently the sequences are connected to form a complete movie. Editing of Films is the only form of art that is unique in the domain of cinema and this separates filmmaking from all other art forms that went forth it, like photography, theatre, writing, dance and direction. However there are simultaneous options to the film editing process in other art forms as applied in novel writing or poetry. Editing is often referred to as the "invisible art". Film editing in India is an art that is often used in diverse ways. Proper editing of films can create sensually stimulating medleys. The editing laboratory is considered to be the operation theatre of experimental cinema in India.
In Indian films, all the narrative forms are not always compartmentalized and the basis of editing is the "jump cut" concept. This process ensures the clarity of the scene. Another typical process of editing in India is taking the story forward, when one scene "dissolves" into another. This method establishes a change of scenario; passage of time and the "dissolve" acts connects one to another time and continuity in the narration. A classic example of this type of editing is the Malayalam film Chemmeen which won the President`s Gold Medal. In this film, the director, Ramu Kariat gave his editor a suggestion to depict the change of time or "dissolving" one scene into another, by showing the sea waves crashing against the shores. This particular scene somehow created a special character for the flow of the film.
Editing however is the combined act of art by both the editor and director. The understanding between the both persons can create a perfect end product. The editor creates the mosaic of a film which is finally contoured by the creativity of the director.. Bimal Roy, Shyam Benegal, Satyajit Ray, Govind Nihalani, Gulzar are some people who have planned and thought out their films carefully to make their editor`s work much simplified. Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt were two other directors who made films with a meaning and a message. When the director shoots everything relevant to the theme of the film, the editor has these huge quantities of material to filter through. In these cases, the editor partially does the work of the scriptwriter. He develops one particular theme after viewing the entire material, puts it down on a paper and develops the chronology and drama eventually. Finally, the film is the complete co ordination of the work of the writer-director-editor.
The process of editing ensures smoothness of narration and continuity in a film and is considered as an ongoing process which offers that extra zing to the art form.
