Chaitanya Tamhane’s
The Disciple is an unorthodox movie about a revered artistic tradition. The journey of Sharad Nerulkar, a Hindustani classical vocalist from Mumbai, is also the mapping of the pursuit of perfection, the relationship between mentors and pupils, the conversation between staying pure and selling out, and the burden of legacy.
The Marathi movie is being streamed on Netflix.
The Disciple follows Sharad (Aditya Modak) over a decade, during which the second-generation singer attempts to establish himself and crawl out from under the shadow of his father, popular masters and his guru, Vinayak Pradhan (Arun Dravid).
Sharad is devoted to his teacher as well as diligent to a fault. His every waking minute is spent on practice and preserving the history of classical music. When he isn’t exercising his vocal chords, Sharad is immersed in listening to recorded lectures by Sindhutai, an Annapurna Devi-like recluse who considers music a search for the divine and an end
Photo: Netflix
Too many movies feel like they were written by guidance counselors. “Believe in yourself, and you can do anything,” they insist, cheerleading for aspiring artists, athletes, and astronauts. But what if what you want to do with your life is notoriously difficult? And what if you’re just not that great at it?
The Disciple, a wry and perceptive new drama from the Indian filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane, shows what following your dreams looks like when those dreams are lofty on an almost historical scale. It could just as easily be called
The Discipline, for how rigorously it privileges the Sisyphean
The Disciple Review: Chaitanya Tamhane s Delicately Crafted Drama Commands Absolute Attention
The Disciple Review: Chaitanya Tamhane s Delicately Crafted Drama Commands Absolute Attention
The Disciple Review: The Marathi film, executive produced by Alfonso Cuaron, tracks an arduous rites-of-passage journey in a manner that is instantly illuminating.
A still from
The Disciple.(courtesy YouTube)
Cast: Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat, Ashwini Kulkarni, Kiran Yadnyopavita and Abhishek Kale
Director: Chaitanya Tamhane
Rating: Four stars (out of 5)
A keenly observed, delicately crafted drama about learning and unlearning in the cloistered world of Hindustani classical music,
The Disciple zeroes in on a Mumbai vocalist trying to find his voice - and feet - in a demanding domain. The Marathi film, written and directed Chaitanya Tamhane and executive produced by Alfonso Cuaron, tracks an arduous rites-of-passage journey in a manner that is instant
The Disciple Movie Review: Chaitanya Tamhane Binds Together The Melancholy Of Hope & Hopelessness Of Loving An Art
The Disciple purely about the artists who didn’t make it, not because they lost, but because they chose.
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(Photo Credit: YouTube)
What’s Good: Respect, Indulgence, & Meditation, Chaitanya and his team value each of those three words and create a world that beams hope & hopelessness together in its melancholy. And the climax! Take a bow, you master.
What’s Bad: If you haven’t empathised and fallen in love with any art form ever (be it an obsession with collecting coins), probably The Disciple will make no point for you. And the probability of your existence is 0.5 in 10.