Deepa Bhatia, who edited several successful films like Taare Zameen Par, My Name is Khan, Kai Po Che, Rock On! to name a few has now ventured into production with a docu-series titled First Act, that narrates the dark side of child actors in the making. The series that is streaming now on an OTT platform highlights their twisted and painful world. In an exclusive chat with The Free Press Journal, Deepa speaks on her mind boggling journey so far, her foothold on the edit table alongside noted filmmakers and a lot more.
Sharing more on her journey so far, she tells, “You don’t dream to work on big projects and with big filmmakers of the country. As a kid, I used to cry when my father didn’t get tickets for Lawaaris or Namak Halal and I never imagined editing a film with Amitabh Bachchan in it. God has been very kind to me. My mother, who isn’t alive now, was obsessed with Karan Johar and I when I edited My Name Is Khan, nothing else mattered to her whatever I had worked on before. I got to fulfill these small dreams you saw or your parents had. I love what I do and it’s the biggest privilege one can have.
Working with the biggest stars of Indian cinema can be intimidating for a few people, but for Deepa, this isn’t the case. While narrating her professional relationship with Aamir, she tells, “I worked with directors like Govind Nihalani, Jahnu Barua, then I got an opportunity to work very closely with Amole Gupte while he was researching on Taare Zameen Par. Amole and Aamir Khan go a long way. I still associate the film with some pain but it is surreal to see the impact it could make on society. When you work on big scale films like My Name Is Khan or Student of The Year, you also have to learn a lot. You develop your visual memory, shape your aesthetic sense etc.”
Deepa, who has been working on the theatricals since 1998 has jumped into OTT pool with her docu- series. When asked how she takes this massive shift, she explains, “It’s like a nail on the head. OTT does experiments with the subjects and for me, who has been working on something like First Act over a long time, needs a solid backing of a platform like I do now. I had a very harmonious understanding with the platform head honchos. I got complete support from them to chase my vision. We dealt with the vulnerability of children.”
While concluding, she spills the beans on her exciting slate of her upcoming projects. “I and Amole are developing a young high-school series since I feel this particular age group is misunderstood and misrepresented. We are also working on a book adaptation named Last Heroes by P Sainath,” she signs off.
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