‘It’s an editor’s job to make poor acting look good on screen’: Nitin Baid says cutting Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt’s scenes is especially enjoyable

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Nitin agreed, and said that it’s a part of an editor’s job to make a performance look like it’s up to the mark even when it isn’t. With good actors like Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, he said, the process is always more enjoyable. “Even with weak actors, I look at it differently. They have a certain range, and even the audience has certain expectations from them. It’s interesting to try and surpass that expectation. And that’s something I discuss with directors also, that a certain actor is being perceived in a certain way, and how do we shift that perception… When the director is very, very clear, they will know how to handle a performance that isn’t the strongest.”

Citing the example of directors Shoojit Sircar and Zoya Akhtar, Nitin said that they are usually able to ‘draw performances out of everybody‘. Antara added, “It’s not like actors are unaware… With younger actors, their first two takes are the best. And it takes directors a while to understand this, so initially, you’ll see they’re doing five or six takes, and the poor kid is getting so tired, and they’ve lost the performance by then. The senior actors do 36-40 takes, and they give you variations also.” Nitin said that a lot also depends on the kind of films they’re working on. “When you’re doing a Karan Johar or Rohit Shetty film, there’s a different kind of acting you’re aiming for. There’s an amped-up aspect to it, compared to the same Ranveer in a different film.”

Nitin Baid has worked with filmmakers such as Anurag Kashyap on Gangs of Wasseypur, Zoya Akhtar on Gully Boy and The Archies, Kabir Khan on ’83 and Chandu Champion, and Karan Johar on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Antara Lahiri, on the other hand, has worked on streaming shows such as Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, Modern Love: Mumbai, Delhi Crime, and Tooth Pari.