By Shivani Panjwani –
Lights, Camera, and Action, the main artist of any movie is the Director of the movie, as the saying goes – “We all are the puppets in the hands of the Director”. But behind the director, there any many people who play prominent roles to make the direction of the movie very successful, and one of those important people are the Editors. Editors are the actual backbone of any successful film. Making the dialogues meaningful, actual cuts, pause, the unrequired science is being seamlessly edited by the editors and working seamlessly on the vision of the director.
Let’s give a big shout-out to these top six women editors in the Bollywood industry for their marvelous work on the edit table.
Renu Saluja was the first woman editor in the Bollywood industry who is well known for her work and got her acknowledgment for editing. She did multiple editing in feature films, documentaries, short films, and TV serials too. She won National Award four times during her journey, her most remarkable works are Ardh Satya (1983), Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), Parinda (1989), Bandit Queen (1994), 1942: A Love Story (1994), Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994), Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai (1998), Pardes (1997), and Calcutta Mail (2003).
2. Namrata Rao
Namrata Rao is also well known for her remarkable work as an editor in the Bollywood industry. She started her professional journey as a graphic designer in NDTV and post that joined Satyajit Ray Film and TV Institute to study filmmaking. She did her first individual movie as an editor in Dibakar Banerjee’s Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and Love, Sex Aur Dokha. After the success of these two films, she did her magical editor work for Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), Kahaani (2012), Shanghai (2012), 2 States (2014), Fan (2016), Befikre (2016), and Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2021). She has also been rewarded by the Filmfare award for best editing for Kahaani and LSD and also won National Film Award for Kahaani in 2012.
3. Aarti Bajaj
Aarti is also one of the leading film editors in the Bollywood industry. Paanch in 2003 was the first work she got noticed for. Post that she did remarkable work for films like Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), Jab We Met (2007), Dev.D (2009), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Karthik Calling Karthik (2010), Rockstar (2011), Tamasha (2015), Harry Met Sejal (2017) and Manmarziyaan (2018).
4. Bela Segal
Bela has made some of the finest works of Sanjay Leela Bhansali to look more glorious and finer but putting her magical editor remark into it and those are Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Devdas (2002), Black (2005) and Saawariya (2007), etc. Apart from these she has also directed and edited her own romantic- comedy film Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi (2012) which starred Boman Irani and Farah Khan.
5. Deepa Bhatia
Deepa Bhatia is a well-known editor and a producer too. Some of her finest works are Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa in 1998. She did some big edits like Thakshak (1999), Taare Zameen Par (2007), Rock On!! (2008), My Name Is Khan (2010), Student of the Year (2012), Kai Po Che (2013), Raees (2017), Kedarnath (2018), and Saina (2021). Her thoughts in editing are like, it not just cut paste, but tailor the work in such a way that it makes its best shape and looks best on the front media.
6. Shweta Venkat Mathew
Shweta has also gained her position in the top-rated list of women editors and is well known for her remarkable work in the industry. Some of her finest works are That Girl in Yellow Boots (2010), and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). She edited some of the popular films like Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), Newton (2017), Meri Pyaari Bindu (2017), Hichki (2018), Veere Di Wedding (2018), Kalank (2019), Judgemental Hai Kya (2019), Haseen Dillruba (2021), etc.