Critics noticed. One review noted that “the editing appears constricted, leaving out certain moments that would have enhanced both story and characterisation”. The first act was criticised for its “jump cuts” that made it “just way too annoying from a viewer’s perspective — you never get a chance to settle down into the movie”. These are precisely the symptoms of a film that has been aggressively shortened.
The most significant "deletion" wasn't just individual scenes, but the film's entire rhythm. The original cut was reportedly over long. Editors were tasked with hacking it down to 140 minutes , resulting in: bombay velvet deleted scenes
Karan Johar’s villainous turn as the manipulative media mogul Kaizad Khambatta was a highlight of the film. However, his grand plan to control the future of Bombay’s real estate felt rushed. Critics noticed
The Lost Cut: Unearthing the Missing Pieces of Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet These are precisely the symptoms of a film
News reports from 2014 revealed that Schoonmaker was working on this cut in Los Angeles. It was believed that the film, much like "Finding Fanny" before it, would have two distinct versions: one tailored for Indian audiences and a different, potentially shorter, cut for the rest of the world. This international version was being edited alongside the multiple cuts prepared by Kashyap and Saigal. Schoonmaker herself reportedly had at least five different edits ready. The promise of a "Schoonmaker cut" of a major Bollywood film was a tantalizing prospect for cinephiles, a version of the film shaped by one of the greatest editors in cinema history. However, just like the director's cut, it remains an unfulfilled promise, a lost artifact from a turbulent production.