Keshav Naidu talks about his experiences at the editing table of Bollywood’s most iconic romantic film
Keshav Naidu who worked with Aditya Chopra for DDLJ admits that when he first laid his eyes on the footage of the first schedule of the film, he knew it was going to be historic
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge tops many a list of Bollywood romance flicks and holds the record for being the second longest running film in the world. But statistics aside, for filmi buffs, the film is the epitome of on-screen romance and quotable quotes. While the stars are clearly the face of the film, a gargantuan effort was made by the editor to compress the best elements of the movie and present it in the best way possible.
Keshav Naidu was in his 40s when he worked with Aditya Chopra for DDLJ. He admits that when he first laid his eyes on the footage of the first schedule of the film, he knew it was going to be historic. “The day I saw the footage, I was like this film is history in the making. Of all the directors I have worked with in the industry, Aditya is the easiest man to work with. He was very clear headed; no hassles and we could work very smoothly. He knew what he wanted so the decision was taken very quickly.
The work was fast-paced and for a first film of a new director, I think it was brilliant,” recollects Keshav, while adjusting his black-framed spectacles and trying to recollect every moment of that time.That Aditya had a very clear idea of how he wanted the film to be and eventually turn out, helped Keshav in putting together the masterpiece of a film. “It’s a well crafted screenplay; everything is well knit that there is nothing much you can do beyond the director’s vision. Any other person in my place would have done the same thing. The film will always be remembered for the performances of Shah Rukh and Kajol. This one scene where they are parting away after the tour at the railway station, she talks about her impending wedding and asks if he would attend. Shah Rukh just says ‘Mein Nahi Aaunga’. That is a world-class scene and till date I have not seen a scene so powerful.”
While reams have been written about the super success of the film, not many know that the film actually did take up as many reams, quite literally. The unedited footage of DDLJ went up to 1.5 lakh feet. The final print was as long as 16,000 feet. A total 18 movie reels were used for the shoot, which isn’t much for a debutant considering most senior directors would end up consuming more than 21 reels. Keshav lets out that Yash Chopra had imported an 8-plate Steenbeck editing table, the only one of its kind in the industry at that time. Even Yashraj had, until then, worked on a six-plate one.
Given that the film went on to become a blockbuster in the pre-'100-crore club era, we ask him what his remuneration was back then. He smiles and without hesitation says, “I was paid Rs2.5 lakhs. In those days the standard of living was not too high… toh chal jaata tha.”
While Keshav assisted Aditya in his debut film, it wasn’t his first stint with the Chopras. He started his career by doing odd jobs at a film lab in Worli, which had long rows of editing rooms. He came in contact with many ad filmmakers; directors who always needed technical help in the final stages. He helped filmmaker Chetan Anand in one of his films and later bagged the job of an editor for the Rajesh Khanna-starrer Kudrat.
“During the mixing of this film at Raj Kamal Studios, Mangesh Desai (re-recordist of Deewar) saw my enthusiasm and liked my work. At that time Yash Raj Films was looking for an editor and he recommended by name to Yash Chopra. So I joined them. At that time he was making Silsila.” The rest, as they say, is history. Little did Keshav know what a role he’d have in shaping cinematic history.
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