Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 19, 2020)

The Coronavirus lockdown has put work life in pause mode for most of us. But Sanjay Gupta refuses to let it impede his “working spirit”. The filmmaker has continued the post-production work on Mumbai Saga, even while he is at his Khandala home with his wife, kids, and a few relatives.

“I’ve managed to finish work on a few things which would have been difficult to find time for before the lockdown. All that when there are six kids running around the house (laughs),” he says. Working on the film from home, Gupta “supervises editing, colour correction and even music with the help of technology”. “My editor, Bunty Nagi has been working with me since Kaante (2002). He knows the way I shoot scenes and how I want them to be edited,” he explains.

The director shares that he tells Nagi “what, and at what point exactly, I want something incorporated or removed” after going through the edited content that Nagi mails to him. He’s also in touch with his background composer in Finland via mails/messages. “These are time-consuming processes but what do you do?” he says, adding that three days’ shoot and two songs are yet to be wrapped up.

Gupta, 53, shot for the John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi-starrer till March 15.

Besides, the filmmaker is also utilising the lockdown period to finish the first draft of his next film (Shootout 3). “Plus, I’ve finished work on the final draft of [the script of] my assistant director’s debut film. I’m also enjoying some family time,” Gupta adds.

Stationed in Khandala, Mumbai Saga director kicks off film's post-production with the editor over calls, sends final sequences to John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi for approval
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 15, 2020)

As work-from-home becomes the de facto way of life amid the Coronavirus lockdown, director Sanjay Gupta is finding novel ways to continue post-production work on Mumbai Saga. "As far as the release goes, let's admit it — the film is indefinitely postponed. I have three days' shoot left and two songs to finish," says the director of the John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi starrer that traces the shutdown of mills in Bombay during the '80s.

For now, Gupta, who is staying put at home in Khandala, is supervising the final cut of the actioner with Mumbai-based editor Bunty Nagi, the miles between them notwithstanding. "My editor finishes the edit every day, and mails it to me. I sit and go through it, making notes. [While suggesting changes], I have to give him the exact minute and second where the change needs to be incorporated. It's a time-consuming process because I have to explain to him that there should be an extra shot here, or that he has to [extend] a particular scene there. Usually, we would be doing this, sitting next to each other, but now, we are doing it over long calls."

If the editing is a laborious process, the background score is posing a bigger problem. "My [background] composer is in Finland. I have to mail the sequences to him, basis which he composes the music and sends it back for approval."

The filmmaker adds that some important sequences are also being sent to Abraham and Hashmi for a look. "The reason why we minimise sending footage across is to avoid movies being leaked, but at this point, we have no option."