Deepa Bhatia: When I started film editing, people would say ‘you must be the assistant’

She has been the editor behind several acclaimed films such as Taare Zameen Par (2007), Rock On!! (2008), Stanley Ka Dabba (2011), among others. Deepa Bhatia says her profession is a department which many people would do a double take, accepting that a woman could also do it.

“I started relatively young. I was a girl, plus young, so people in the industry would think ‘oh, she is not the editor, she must be the assistant’ I faced that, not discrimination. I was very privileged that I learnt under Govind Nihalani. It was a homely, encouraging, nurturing environment in the office,” recalls Bhatia.

Wife of filmmaker Amol Gupte, she adds that apart from these (gender) stereotypes, she was given the opportunity to learn.

She continues, “I was allowed to find myself, discover my own potential. I was not hassled or critiqued for being a woman. I have always maintained there are good editors and bad editor, there is no other difference. I am fortunate in terms of that. Occasionally age might have been pointed out, like maybe I am just an assistant, but it was not harsher or tougher.”

She goes on to call the film industry an encouraging place. “That way, it has been good. I was lucky to have those experiences. But there are women who share different stories,” asserts Bhatia.

Apart from editing, she has been busy with a host of work in different fields. Currently, she has worked on a non-fiction show for a major streaming platform.

She reveals, “I have directed it, I am in the middle of finishing a shoot for that. Then, I am editing an OTT show for Ashim Ahluwalia, so delivering on that. At the same time, I am also writing and working on a feature script. I am choosing my editing projects very cautiously.”