2A01:4C8:A1:F08E:59BB:DC5E:5B97:3F40 at 08:23, 20 August 2021

2021-08-20T08:23:53Z

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{{short description|2020 Indian Marathi drama film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Disciple
| image = The Disciple 2020 poster.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = [[Chaitanya Tamhane]]
| producer = Vivek Gomber
| writer = Chaitanya Tamhane
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* Aditya Modak
* Arun Dravid
* [[Sumitra Bhave–Sunil Sukthankar|Sumitra Bhave]]
* Deepika Bhide Bhagwat
* Kiran Yadnyopavit
}}
| music = Aneesh Pradhan
| cinematography = Michał Sobociński
| editing = Chaitanya Tamhane
| studio = Zoo Entertainment
| distributor = [[Netflix]]
| released = {{Film date|2020|09|04|[[77th Venice International Film Festival|Venice]]|df=yes|2021|04|30|India}}
| runtime = 127 minutes<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2020/venezia-77-competition/disciple|title=The Disciple|website=[[Venice Film Festival]]|access-date=3 August 2020}}</ref>
| country = India
| language = [[Marathi language|Marathi]]
| budget =
}}

'''''The Disciple''''' is a 2020 Indian [[Marathi cinema|Marathi]]-language [[drama film]] written, directed and edited by [[Chaitanya Tamhane]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/court-director-chaitanya-tamhanes-marathi-film-the-disciple-to-compete-at-venice-film-festival-8652301.html |title=Court director Chaitanya Tamhane's Marathi film The Disciple to compete at Venice Film Festival |work=First Post |access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> It stars [[Aditya Modak]], Arun Dravid, [[Sumitra Bhave–Sunil Sukthankar|Sumitra Bhave]], Deepika Bhide Bhagwat, and Kiran Yadnyopavit. [[Alfonso Cuarón]] serves as an executive producer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/the-disciple-venice-film-festival-chaitanya-tamhane-alfonso-cuaron-1203000711/|title=Venice Pic 'The Disciple' Sees Alfonso Cuarón Board As EP; Endeavor Content & New Europe Film Sales To Rep It|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=31 July 2020|access-date=18 August 2020}}</ref>

It was entered into the main competition section at the [[77th Venice International Film Festival]], becoming the first Indian film since ''[[Monsoon Wedding]]'' (2001) to compete at the festival.<ref name=Main>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/07/venice-film-festival-2020-lineup-1234576400/|title=Venice Film Festival 2020 Full Lineup: Luca Guadagnino, Chloe Zhao, Gia Coppola, and More|last=Sharf|first=Zack|work=[[IndieWire]]|date=28 July 2020|access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2020/venezia-77-competition|title=Venezia 77 Competition|publisher=[[La Biennale di Venezia]]|website=labiennale.org|date=28 July 2020|access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref> At Venice, the film won FIPRESCI International Critics Prize presented by the [[International Federation of Film Critics]] (FIPRESCI, short for Federation Internationale de la Presse Cinematographique)<ref name=FIP>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/hollywood/story/venice-film-festival-2020-chaitanya-tamhan-s-the-disciple-wins-fipresci-award-1721365-2020-09-13 |title=Venice Film Festival 2020: Chaitanya Tamhan's The Disciple wins FIPRESCI award|work=India Today |date=13 September 2020}}</ref> and the Best Screenplay award.<ref name=Screenplay>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/09/venice-film-festival-2020-winners-list-1234585982/ |title=Venice Film Festival 2020 Winners: ''Nomadland'' Takes Golden Lion, Vanessa Kirby Is Best Actress |work=IndieWire |access-date=12 September 2020}}</ref> It was also screened at the [[2020 Toronto International Film Festival]], where it was named a winner of the Amplify Voices Award.<ref>Jason Gorber, [https://www.blogto.com/film/2020/09/tiff-2020-award-winners/ "TIFF announces award winning films for 2020"]. ''BlogTO'', 20 September 2020.</ref><ref name=Toronto>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/movies/tamhanes-the-disciple-wins-again-this-time-at-tiff-2893839.html|title=Tamhane's 'The Disciple' Wins Again, This Time At TIFF|website=News18}}</ref> [[Netflix]] acquired the distribution rights of the film and it was released through the streaming platform on 30 April 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Entertainment|first=Quint|date=26 March 2021|title=Award-Winning Film 'The Disciple' Gets Netflix Release Date|url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/hot-on-web/chaitanya-tamhane-award-winning-film-the-disciple-gets-netflix-release-date|url-status=live|access-date=31 March 2021|website=TheQuint|language=en}}</ref>

==Plot==
Sharad Nerulkar has devoted his life to becoming an [[Indian classical music]] vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of old masters, his guru, and his father. But as years go by, Sharad starts to wonder whether it's really possible to achieve the excellence he's striving for.

==Cast==
{{Castlist|* Aditya Modak as Sharad Nerulkar
* Arun Dravid as Guruji
* [[Sumitra Bhave–Sunil Sukthankar|Sumitra Bhave]] as voice of Maai
* Deepika Bhide Bhagwat
* Kiran Yadnyopavit
* Abhishek Kale
* Neela Khedar
* Makarand Mukund
* Kristy Banerjee
* Prasad Vanarase
}}

== Production ==

=== Development ===
After the release of his debut directorial film ''[[Court (film)|Court]]'' in April 2015, [[Chaitanya Tamhane]] worked through an extensive research to write a script based on [[Indian classical music]] in September 2015. Around March 2016, he started the writing works of the project which took more than 18 months to complete, as Chaitanya stated that "the first page of the script, was very difficult to crack. It took me 22 months to complete the first page and within the next two months, the entire script was completed". He did not take much time to rewrite the script as Chaitanya stated that his first draft was also the final draft of the script.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=13 September 2020|title=The Disciple director Chaitanya Tamhane: Alfonso Cuaron helped me find my voice|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/alfonso-cuaron-helped-me-find-my-voice-chaitanya-tamhane-6540990/|access-date=31 March 2021|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref>

As a part of the research work, Chaitanya travelled to various cities including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]] ([[ITC Sangeet Research Academy]]), [[Varanasi]], [[Pune]] and [[Ahmedabad]].<ref name=":0" /> He added that apart from interviewing musicians, he also had to form genuine friendships and build a rapport with them so that they can "open up and let understand their inner world".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Ghosh|first=Devarsi|title='An emotional, universal film': Chaitanya Tamhane on Venice-bound 'The Disciple'|url=https://scroll.in/reel/969440/an-emotional-universal-film-chaitanya-tamhane-on-venice-bound-the-disciple|access-date=31 March 2021|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[The New Indian Express]]'', Tamhane stated that "''The Disciple'' is set in the world of classical music but it is not about musicians who draw sold-out concerts in big auditoriums, It is about musicians who are on the fringes and are a part of the subculture in Bombay."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Full-length interview: Marathi director Chaitanya Tamhane on Alfonso Cuaron's offer and his film Court winning big at Venice|url=https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/cinema/2020/aug/09/full-length-interview-marathi-director-chaitanya-tamhane-on-alfonso-cuarons-offer-and-his-film-cou-27212.html|access-date=31 March 2021|website=www.indulgexpress.com|language=en}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=It is a journey of an Indian classical vocalist who has been raised by his father and inculcated into this music. He has grown up on these stories of masters of the past, the secret knowledge and the intimidating, complex art form that they are trying to perfect. The kind of values that vocalists grow up on. But he is also trying to navigate a practical, real life.|source=[[Chaitanya Tamhane]], opening about the script of ''The Disciple'' in an interview with ''[[The Indian Express]]''.<ref name=":1" />}}During the period of writing, Chaitanya was guided by [[Alfonso Cuarón|Alfonso Cuaron]] whom he met during the 2016-2017 edition of the [[Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative|Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative]]. Chaitanya stated that "Cuaron had read the script and saw the editing work right up to the finished film".<ref name=":1" /> Sharing about his rapport with Alfonso Cuaron, Tamhane opined that "for an independent filmmaker's mind the restrictions come first. There are many other things on a practical and a technical level when it comes to filmmaking". He added that Alfonso had guided him through the work, saying "if the vision is there, the rest will follow", and also helped him motivating throughout the process.<ref name=":0" /> Tamhane further stated that his collaboration with Cuaron is not a "formal rapport", but he envisioned that he had a respect and gratitude for the filmmaker.<ref name=":0" />

For the role of Sharad Nerulkar, Tamhane stated that the person must have abilities of singing, acting and also fluent in Marathi language. In an ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' interview, he added "We went with a newcomer [Aditya Modak, a classical singer and chartered accountant] because we figured it would be easier to get a musician who could act rather than vice-versa. But we had to do this for most of the key roles, and casting alone took us a whole year."<ref>{{Cite web|date=18 September 2020|title=Chaitanya Tamhane, just back from Venice, talks film, fandom and art|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/chaitanya-tamhane-just-back-from-venice-talks-film-fandom-art/story-3yUAVfJeaSJ51MnIqMg38J.html|access-date=31 March 2021|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref>

=== Writing ===
In Baradwaj Rangan's interview with ''[[Film Companion]]'', Tamhane added that the essential conflict in ''The Disciple'' comes from ''Grey Elephants'' — the play he made with Vivek Gomber. He further added that "I fell in love with the theatre field because of all these stories, and secrets, this lost, ancient knowledge, and this complex, intimidating genre of music with roots in religion and spirituality. All of this collectively fascinated me. I started attending lots of classical concerts, and I travelled to places like Kolkata, Varanasi, Delhi, and even Mumbai has a really vibrant scene of Indian classical music. I began interviewing musicians. Most of the story and characters began to emerge from my part of the research work."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rangan|first=Baradwaj|date=5 September 2020|title=Chaitanya Tamhane, After The Premiere Of The Disciple At The Venice Film Festival: "Every Film Is A New Battle"|url=https://www.filmcompanion.in/interviews/marathi-interview/chaitanya-tamhane-the-disciple-venice-film-festival-premiere-every-film-is-a-new-battle-marathi-movies-baradwaj-rangan/|access-date=31 March 2021|website=Film Companion|language=en-US}}</ref>

In a 2020 interview for ''[[Scroll.in]]'', Tamhane added that ''The Disciple'' is made with "an amalgamation of insights" which he gained during the film's research, and also becoming his personal story, stating that "Though cinema is a much younger medium, technology booming in the 21st century, are issues relevant to Indian classical music as well". He added that many things in Indian classical music are no longer relevant or true, as the [[Guru Shishya parampara|guru-shishya parampara]]. [student-teacher tradition]. He stated that ''The Disciple'' may bring in two worlds, which is one being the Hindustani music and the other being the customary traditions which is not seen in modern times.<ref name=":1" />

=== Filming and post-production ===
Shooting of the film took place for more than two years and the film is set entirely in [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{Cite web|title='The Theme I Explore And The Truth I Strive For Are Personal': Filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane|url=https://thewire.in/film/chaitanya-tamhane-court-alfonso-cuaron-disciple-venice-film-festival|access-date=31 March 2021|website=The Wire}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ghosh|first=Stutee|date=15 September 2020|title=Took Me 4 Years to Make 'The Disciple': Chaitanya Tamhane|url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/celebrities/chaitanya-tamhane-interview-the-disciple-court-venice-international-film-festival-toronto-balaji-telefilms|access-date=31 March 2021|website=TheQuint|language=en}}</ref> For the cinematography Tamhane roped in Michael Sobocinski from Poland after Cuaron's suggestion. While he wanted this film to be "romantic", "textured" and subjective", which is starkly different from Court, he could not find an appropriate cinematographer for the script, so he insisted Cuaron to do so. Cuaron reached out his norm cinematographer [[Emmanuel Lubezki]], for this, who recommended Michael's name. Although he shot few commercials in India, Michael spent few months in the country to understand the subject of the film.<ref name=":1" />

Tamhane approached Aneesh Pradhan, a former tabla player and music historian, whom he shared a rapport after appreciating the director's debut film ''Court''. On describing Pradhan's music in detail, he stated that "Even if the musicians are performing traditional bandishes, they have to be curated, customised, and modified for the film. There are about five to six sequences of music in the movie, and I wanted them to shape the film’s soundscape as well as inform the viewer about what exactly is happening. The individual units of music had to work as a whole. The idea was to show the journey of a [[raga]] to great economy."<ref name=":1" />

Naren Chandravarkar worked on the sound design and pre-mixing of the album. Instead of recording the musicians separately, Tamhane decided to bring entire musicians in a single room, so as to record them together. Tamhane also put up a three-camera set-up to shoot the musicians closely so that their reactions while playing the music could be captured. He further added that, this would become the reference during the actual shooting for these musicians, when they become a part of the cast during the principal shooting, stating that "The musicians reacted to the moment during the original recording of the music and I wanted to capture that".<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title='The Disciple' Explores the Silences and Conflicts of a Young Classical Musician|url=https://thewire.in/film/the-disciple-chaitanya-tamhane-film-tiff-musician|access-date=31 March 2021|website=The Wire}}</ref>

=== Visual effects ===
Tamhane's mentor Alfonso Cuaron worked on the use of [[visual effects]] in the film, he also insisted the correct use of VFX in a way that it "becomes completely invisible to the narrative and not use it in the more obvious", which it works towards enhancing the storytelling. Cuaron is known for the accurate use of visual effects in the film and during the work for ''[[Roma (2018 film)|Roma]]'', he noticed how much of VFX is included into two of its scenes - the one being the opening scene and another key scene which takes place at the beach. He added that the VFX is "insidious", which plays an "invisible part in the film".<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=28 August 2020|title=How Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms Led Chaitanya Tamhane To World Cinema|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/chaitanya-tamhane-the-disciple-interview-venice_in_5f48e633c5b64f17e13c3c1e|access-date=31 March 2021|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref> Cuaron also worked in the [[Dolby Atmos]] mixing of the [[Background Score|background score]]. Tamhane was present at the sound mixing of ''[[Roma (2018 film)|Roma]]'' spent time with the engineers who trained him in using the tool more efficiently, which played a key part in the film's script''.''<ref name=":3" />

== Release ==
''The Disciple'' was premiered at the main competition section on 4 September 2020 at the [[77th Venice International Film Festival]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rosario|first=Kennith|date=28 July 2020|title=Chaitanya Tamhane's 'The Disciple' to compete at Venice International Film Festival|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/chaitanya-tamhanes-the-disciple-to-compete-at-venice-international-film-festival/article32213476.ece|access-date=31 March 2021|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> becoming the first Indian film since ''[[Monsoon Wedding]]'' (2001) to compete at the festival.<ref name="Main" /><ref name=":2" /> It was also screened at the [[2020 Toronto International Film Festival]] on 12 September 2020, which was the only Indian film to be screened at the venue.<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 September 2020|title=Indian filmmaker Tamhane's 'The Disciple' eyes success in Toronto|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/indian-filmmaker-tamhane-s-the-disciple-eyes-success-in-toronto/story-XwiYlINqkmx8dxQad7gSVL.html|access-date=31 March 2021|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team found difficulties in getting theatres for release, and eventually sold the distribution rights to [[Netflix]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=27 January 2021|title=The Disciple to premiere on Netflix|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/chaitanya-tamhanes-the-disciple-to-premiere-on-netflix-7163679/|access-date=31 March 2021|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref> On 3 March 2021, Netflix announced their release of the film in their first 41 Indian originals slated for the year's release.<ref>{{Cite news|others=PTI|date=3 March 2021|title='The Disciple', Taapsee Pannu-starrer 'Haseen Dillruba' among Netflix's line-up of 13 movies|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/the-disciple-taapsee-pannu-starrer-haseen-dillruba-among-netflixs-line-up-of-13-movies/article33979721.ece|access-date=31 March 2021|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> The official trailer of the film was unveiled on 26 March 2021, further announcing the release date of 30 April 2021 through the platform.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Watch the New Trailer for The Disciple, Out April 30 on Netflix|url=https://gadgets.ndtv.com/entertainment/news/disciple-movie-netflix-trailer-release-date-april-30-chaitanya-tamhane-2402051|access-date=31 March 2021|website=NDTV Gadgets 360|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=26 March 2021|title=The Disciple trailer: Chaitanya Tamhane's award-winning film gets a release date on Netflix|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/others/the-disciple-trailer-chaitanya-tamhane-s-award-winning-film-gets-a-release-date-on-netflix-101617085117930.html|url-status=live|access-date=31 March 2021|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref>

== Reception ==
Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports that 97% of 32 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The rare film that captures the passion that drives the mastery of creative pursuits, ''The Disciple'' reaffirms writer-director Chaitanya Tamhane as an emerging master of his craft."<ref name=RT>{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|id=the_disciple_2020|type=m|title= The Disciple (2021)|access-date= May 6, 2021}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite mc|id= the-disciple |type=movie|title=The Disciple Reviews |access-date=May 6, 2021}}</ref>

Nick Allen of ''[[RogerEbert.com]]'' gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, comparing it to ''[[Inside Llewyn Davis]]'' and wrote that it is "a great example of when filmmaking and acting styles complement each other," and calling Modak's performance "incredible."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Allen|first=Nick|title=The Disciple movie review & film summary (2021) {{!}} Roger Ebert|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-disciple-movie-review-2021|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-01|website=RogerEbert.com|language=en}}</ref>

[[Anupama Chopra]] of Film Companion wrote, "The film might be set in the esoteric world of Indian classical music but its concerns are universal."<ref>{{cite web|first=Anupama|last=Chopra|url=https://www.filmcompanion.in/reviews/bollywood-review/the-disciple-movie-netflix-review-has-muted-but-mysterious-gifts-chaitanya-tamhane-anupama-chopra/?utm_source=Wikipedia&utm_medium=Contentseeding&utm_campaign=TheDiscipleReview|title=The Disciple, On Netflix, Has Muted But Mysterious Gifts |access-date=May 10, 2021|archive-date=April 30, 2021}}</ref>

==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! Award
! Date of ceremony
! Category
! Recipient(s)
! Result
! class="unsortable"| {{nowrap|{{Abbr|Ref(s)|References}}}}
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Venice International Film Festival]]
|rowspan="3"|[[77th Venice International Film Festival|12 September 2020]]
|[[Golden Lion]]
|The Disciple
|{{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref name=Main/>
|-
|[[Golden Osella|Golden Osella for Best Screenplay]]
|[[Chaitanya Tamhane]]
|rowspan="3" {{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name=Screenplay/>
|-
|[[FIPRESCI|FIPRESCI International Critics Prize]]
|rowspan="3"|The Disciple
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name=FIP/>
|-
|[[Toronto International Film Festival]]
|[[2020 Toronto International Film Festival|21 September 2020]]
| Amplify Voices Award
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name=Toronto/>
|-
|[[Independent Spirit Awards]]
|[[36th Independent Spirit Awards|22 April 2021]]
|[[Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film|Best International Film]]
|{{nom}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/independent-spirit-awards-nominations-list-2021 |title=Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always,' 'Minari,' 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' 'Nomadland' Top Nominations |last=Lewis |first=Hilary |date=26 January 2021 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|11423784|The Disciple}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Disciple, The}}
[[Category:2020 films]]
[[Category:2020 drama films]]
[[Category:2020s Marathi-language films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Indian drama films]]
[[Category:Films about music and musicians]]
[[Category:Films set in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Marathi-language Netflix original films]]
[[Category:Indian direct-to-video films]]

The Disciple (2020 film) - Revision history

2A01:4C8:A1:F08E:59BB:DC5E:5B97:3F40 at 08:23, 20 August 2021