User reviews

'The Disciple' is a movie about a journey of an artist and how it pans out over the years. This movie is beautifully directed with on the spot set pieces and full of Indian classical music. The music is so tastefully presented that, even if you are not familiar with it, it sucks you in with its atmosphere and carries over the whole movie.

I speak Marathi, so it was even better experience for me, as the dialogs feels very natural along with all the production. The movie moves slowly, showing us daily struggles of an artist who wants to make it big in field with rapidly declining scope. This along with an amazing lead performance and atmospheric music and brilliant production design makes it worth a watch.

Its a very solid character study, I can easily see this getting such a wide applause.

Amazing casting. Wonderful to watch a 77 year-old MIT PhD and IIT-Mumbai gold medalist act in the role of the Guruji (a rough equivalent a master in the field). He was not acting most of the time, he was actually singing the ragas! I suspected this while watching the film and wondered if the actors were being helped by playback, which would have been difficult to accomplish Aging process of Aditya Modak another real life singer, is a tribute to the make-up department. The real winners of the film are the slow-motion sequences of the lonely motorbike rider in the night with the sitar music on the soundtrack--one of the finest urban sequences in Indian cinema captured by the young Polish cinematographer Michal Sobocinski. Good editing and screenplay by the director Chjaitnaya Tamhane. Thanks to the Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron ("Roma," "Y ti mama tambien"), who partially bankrolled the film. India looks so clean and wonderful in this film!

There is a languid, dreamlike quality that persists in much of 'The Disciple', accentuated by the recurring use of 'tanpura' drone in the background and scenes of the protagonist riding his motorcycle through empty nighttime Mumbai in slow motion. They manage to reinforce a detached state of mind, both for the viewer and for the protagonist. Factually, the film may deal with a specific subgenre of Indian Classical vocal music (a subject I am not versed in, at all), but the observations made so acutely and the opinions expressed so eloquently have a tremendous universal relatability. And not just classical music, they hold true for any pure art form, be it pottery or printmaking. The film is overall a character study spanning three stages in the protagonist's life as he fights hard to prevent himself from being engulfed by social obligations and invariable complications of urban living - like fame, sustainability, professional jealousy, ego - that go against the teachings of his old, reclusive mentor, who is a pure practitioner of the craft. Most efficiently written, acted, crafted, paced - a definitely wholesome film.

In his interview with Anupama Chopra, Chaitanya confessed that he did not knew a lot about Indian classical music. But his movie speaks a lot about music not just about Indian classical music but music as a whole.

His take on Indian music shows, on online trollers who judge the singers when they hardly know about it, his take on Music mafias, on changing music style of music show contestants, on Fusion bands in colleges, on failure, on aspiring career in music, on on unpaid fees to classical singers, many things 'The Disciple' talks about with its slow camera movement.

The hustle of protagonist Sharad Nerulkar is clearly visible, the slow death of interest of Indian audience towards Classical music is very well felt.

What i loved most about this movie is that it stands unapologetic to itself, did not tried to make people feel relevance, just telling story as is, without adulteration of dramas to please audience, it does not have it's own opinion on many things, it just show what the reality is.

Clearly best movie made about music. Must watch on Netflix.

TIFF 2020 10

The Disciple

Never in my life I thought watching a film about Indian classical music would be remotely interesting. However The disciple, a film directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, has proved my wrong. It's about a student and performer of the classical music in India which is also called Raag, who is desperate to become one of the greats.

The film is a multi-layered, beautifully textured character study of a man's journey and devotion to a goal he might or might not reach. It thoroughly captures one's doubts, fears and uncertainties about if one is good enough for the task ahead. It has somewhat a slow start and things get more and more relatable and resonating as we go through the sitting. At the end, the whole experience feels complete and satisfactory.

The Disciple (2020) : Movie Review -

Since Chaitanya Tamhane's debut film Court (2014) made waves across the nation despite being a non commercial regional film, the speculations about his next film being on that level were increasing the heat. The Disciple recieved wide acclaim in foreign countries and film festivals and the heat became even hotter. Alright now, The Disciple lives upto the hype and yes even according to critics mindset. Chaitanya Tamhane delivers 2nd consecutive Gem of Realistic cinema and brings forgotten treasure into limelight though melodious, poetic and allegorical manners.

The film is about an aspiring young guy Sharad Nerulkar who wants to become a classical singer and believes in Music and his legendary music teachers. His journey begins from childhood by lessons from his Father, then lessons from his Guru in teenage and simultaneously he listens to audio tapes of renowned classical singer who used to have unbelievable talent but never got recognisation. The film derives through subversive changes in Sharad's life and personality and his new discoveries about life. The writing is meaningful, screenplay is highly realistic and the narrative is subtle with some brilliant outcome.

Aditya Modak in lead role is outstanding in every frame, call even a sidelined scene and he has done his 100% in that scene too. Arun Dravid as his Guruji is naturally brilliant and realistically favourable to the context of the character. The supporting cast is equally good and noteworthy even if they have small roles. The musical part of the film something which makes it melodious and it feels mesmerizing to listen Classical Raags.

Director Chaitanya Tamhane deserves big round of applause for putting a great show yet again. He knows the essence of every single field of filmmaking and it shows up on screen. You can notice how he makes an ordinary scene look so poetic and allegorical just by using slow motion pan frame and background music. He likes to keep it real more than dramatic which is why both of his films have been loved by critics and quality cinema lovers. The Disciple is another cinematic gem from Tamhane which can't be missed by any Movie Buff. Relive the forgotten treasure of classical music and legendary thoughts and discover something of your own.

RATING - 8/10*

THE DISCIPLE is all about the character study of an artist over the years. We all know that this film has already won big in many festivals, naturally everyone was excited to see the movie. No doubt the film is good. But it's very slow paced and long shots are everywhere. I don't know why so many long shots are there.

Maybe I'm not mature enough right now to understand and enjoy this kind of films. That's why I can't say that it's a masterpiece, maybe after few years I'll like it. So, for me it's just a good movie. You can watch it if you love to watch this type of films, but this is not for everyone and of course not for me right now.

Available On Netflix.

© MandalBros.

Disciple portrays the journey of an artist through the decay of outreach of indian classical music. The themes like commercialization and industrialization of music through the eyes of the protagonist has been vividly brought to screen. It has been evident that Tamhane is not an actor's director ,you could see that in his films, camera focuses a scene with actors in it but not on the actor who is in the scene but still you could relate to the main protagonist. The editing,cinematography has been smooth rather than raw approach he has taken in "Court".

I watched The Disciple in orig. Marathi w/Eng. Subs. On Netflix. Chaitanya Tamhane has also directed Court.

The Disciple is a good film with a realistic plot revolving around the mundane life of Sharad Nerulkar (excellently portrayed by Aditya Modak). Sharad is a Hindustani classical vocal student of his Guruji (Arun Dravid). Sharad is the perfect 'disciple' to his beloved Guruji, literally doing everything for him until his(Guruji's) last breath. But Sharad's musical efforts remain mediocre despite his obsession with both Guruji, Maai and music; unlike some of the other students. Sharad's best performance is eventually at the memorial concert for Guruji.

No Spoilers beyond these basics. The characters, the acting, the sets, the cinematography, the mundane, the music, its all very good.

BUT ... personally I found the narration excruciatingly slow to the point where I was fast forwarding through the several lengthy music scenes. I appreciate and enjoy Carnatic and Hindustani classical music. I have been to concerts by classical greats held in very humble environs patronised by genuine music lovers. But that does not mean I want to be so oversaturated with music while watching a feature film. The repetitive bike rides with Maai's advise playing out in Aditya's mind are also a bit toooo much. Many viewers may find the film boring. Personally I prefer Tamhane's Court.

It is not the slowest movie I ever saw, but for sure it is the most perfect to fall (and remain) asleep ...indeed !!!

...anyway, free to self inflict pain.

I like the indian culture but this is not a good way to discover aspects of ...

"He is mistaken who believes he may pluck a single leaf from the laurel tree of art without paying for it with his life." ~Thomas Mann, from the book Tonio Kröger

# Themes

• The question in an artists life - whether to remain true to their practice, and live the life of an ascetic where you have to work hard with no guarantee you will succeed or to go mainstream where you will get money and fame but won't be living for true art.

• Sharad Tries to work hard and live like an ascetic at the command of Maai. But time frays Sharad's idealism. Asceticism in the hustling and bustling city of Mumbai is a difficult practice.

# Most Striking Details 1. Cinematography:

• Chaitanya Tamhane constructs Sharad's narrative with long takes and wide establishing shots. The camera stays still. The pacing is purposefully slow. This isn't a film about big plot twists or overblown emotion. The story unfolds in a low-key, naturalistic manner. Like Sharad, Chaitanya is pursuing a certain purity of vision. Which requires commitment from the viewer.

• The film is shot like a poetry on celluloid with its studied frames and immersive sound design.

2. Acting:

• Aditya Modak (plays Sharad Nerulkar) gives a melancholic performance. He transforms externally and internally along with the movie. It's astounding to watch and one can't believe that this is his acting debut as Sharad.

• We don't see Maai but we hear her with the same reverence that Sharad does because Maai's pursuit seems mythical.

3. Soundtrack:

• For a film about music, sounds plays a vital role in the movie. But it is expressed not just in the form of the Classical Music that the singers present. Sounds is used as a visual device in the movie.

• Take the instance in Act 2 when Sharad is grown up with a moustache. The Mumbai city is shown by its sound of the car horns and the city life with still imagery.

• The bike ride scenes when Shard is listening to Maai seems mythical of the mythical because of the sitar sounds playing in the background, and as Shard gets sick of, he removes the headphones, and we get to hear the same hustle and bustle of the city again.

# What The Movie Lacked?

• The pacing can get slow sometimes and requires patience from the viewers.

• There are questions that remain...was Sharad just talentless? I've heard that Hardwork can even beat talent where there is no talent. Sharad seemed dedicated to his art and worked hard. Still he wasn't able to succeed. While his fellow students were. What was the reason of Sharad's actual failure? Was it his style of music? Why couldn't he choose some other Form of Classical Music besides the Bandish?

## Verdict My Rating - 9/10 The movie won many awards and rightly so. The topic is touched was new and handled very well. The cinematography was poetic. It was rightly done.

From the title to the summaries and write-ups of this movie, it seems to drive towards the devotion, dedication, tribulations and joy of discipleship in the journey towards artistry.

However, as the movie progresses it's really at its core about the failure to accept one's mediocrity in talent - despite the efforts one puts in one will never be able to come anywhere near great without the required level of innate talent to begin with. One may be good enough to teach up to a certain mid-level and that would be it.

While difficulty in accepting one's mediocrity is a valid movie theme, it is depicted here as mundane and frustrating in a character that seems to be equally mundane, and otherwise lost and lacking 'character' depth. Perseverance and Intent alone in a weak mundane character does not an interesting movie make.

At some point the effort peters off into just 'not interesting' territory. For example, having to twice show the character masturbate appears more gimmicky than adding anything meaningful.

The use of non-actors in the cast is good. Their acting is fine. While this adds realism, it also extends the mundanity which is a major fault of the scripting.

I do find the director's wide-angled static scenes refreshing. Would be good to have more of the excellent classical music too.

Best scenes - the narratives as the main character motorbikes around the empty streets in the middle of the night.

It is a Dark and upsetting film which features the struggles of a musician and does not have a motivating or inspiring aspect either.

Chaitanya Tamhane's 'The Disciple' is a multi-layered, beautifully textured character study of a man's journey and devotion to follow a dream he might or might not reach. It's a pretty demanding drama as the story unfolds in slow, melancholic rhythms. Still, it is a very well-made and stirring drama with a strong screenplay, transcendent message, and a mesmerizing sound design, resulting in a satisfying and rewarding viewing experience. Aditya Modak in lead role is outstanding in every frame while Arun Dravid is naturally brilliant and realistically favourable to the context of the character. The supporting cast is equally good and noteworthy even if they have small roles.

The movie overall is good, I would have rated it 8, but there are many things which put me off and kind of made me feel it's touching upon the pretentious artsy movies as many are doing lately.

1. Cinematography is good but it's deliberate in many occasions just for the sake of it or make it seem it's art film as such. Be it driving bike while listening to record on an empty "MUMBAI" streets. You see its good but!

2. Story is good but it doesn't have a realistic aspects of how musicians struggle and how the whole life circle is. As in from child to youth there is shift acceptance of being blind following of a rigid practices and "I know everything about singing" to revelations and building a company. All these makes it too deliberate story writing without truly understanding the core of music as an art or even it's struggle or how even business is or character arc is. It's like trying everything to make it work for the theme approach. Externally it looks beautiful, deep down the psychological aspects fails the movie 3. Music, singing is pretty good and that's commendable. There is no doubt about that.

4. Slow pace is over stretched and it might come across pretentious artsy films, but the core of lack of psychological aspects bugged me more than this, because many can do long takes just deliberately to act cool without any intent. But atleast in this log takes are fine in a way as it slightly leans to silent movie.

Overall it's decent movie, I wouldn't call it masterpiece as such, could have been 7 , even 8 but , there is a movie called "UZAK(Distance)". Watch that movie, you will know the character of existentialism of similar nature. It seems like that character from Uzak was made this Indian film.

Inspite not knowing marathi, I took a chance and started seeing " the disciple " on one of the top streaming platform.

And boy I was amused and completely lost in the world of " sharad nerulkar " who is a very lonely classical singer.. You need to patient, slowly and gradually you will be able to feel this cinematic gem. Please do watch out this movie if you are an aspiring artist as watching this movie was like meditation..

The main protagonist of the film, Aditya Modak is a debutante and you can never beleive this is the first time this guy is acting and you cannot imagine anyone else in the tituliar role..

Music is on point, indian classical bits may get a bit boring if you are not a true lover of indian classical music..

I just had an issue with the legth of the movie which could have been at least 20-30 minites less but anyways movies like this are like an old wine which gradually hits you.

Watch this movie if you are a true cinema lover and if you want to see even such subtle way of telling a story can impact you deeply.

Thanks!!

The movie is well done; however, it could have a shorter duration and a more interesting plot; it's still a decent movie though.

Not a great classically taught listener here but been a casual listener for 25 years. Yes classical singing or even listening MAY seem to be a dying form since it takes many years to even learn to appreciate it. I am amazed by how long it took me to actually realize that the alaap can sometimes be the most valued part of a performance compared to the antara or gat. However IT IS NOT dying.

Even though I appreciate the classical music theme of this effort, it took me about 5-6 hours over a week to watch this till the end since I couldn't handle more than 20 mins at a time! Not sure why realistic Indian movies have to swing to "realistically" hopeless from the fantastically hopeless of commercial cinema. Nothing specific to be blamed, but in fact literally the premise of the movie itself.

Talk about flogging a dead horse! Referring to what the movie talks about "bhav" i.e. Emotion in singing, this movies' bhav seems determined to kill any interest in classical music let alone classical singing in Maharashtra (or worldwide for that matter). Reminds me of the "Art" movie trend, sadly many of which spoiled any interest in Art for many young Indians. Please keep kids AWAY!!!

The Disciple is a courageous and often quite brilliant portrayal of a man seeking to achieve purity in his discipline of choice, Indian classical music, with an idealism that is rarely seen in today's world. His reasons to choose this path are his father, who gave him endless lectures on the purity & joy of classical music and his gurus (both immediate and those he follows) that have set the path for enlightenment through complete devotion to their art.

While such devotion reaps rewards in fields like medicine, academics and other art forms, the issue is our protagonist, Sharad, is working in a field whose relevance is being lost. This can be observed both by the average age of the patrons of his music and the sparse audiences that are seen when such a performance is happening.

To Sharad's credit, his devotion is near absolute. He diligently looks after his guru, he does not go home or call home and even his job involves converting old tapes and LPs of rare classical music into digital format. His constant companions in this journey are tapes from an elusive and almost mythical guru called Maai. Maai famously never recorded her singing and sang only to achieve purity. She also says that the path of purity is lonely and very hard. All of this happens through her voiceover while Sharad's loneliness is made deeper by him driving his motorcycle in eerily empty Mumbai roads.

The performances, especially from Aditya Modak as Sharad, are very good and never over the top. Caricatures of classical singers about and to the credit of the cast, they remain true to their characters and are understated.

The movie is slow, ponderous and makes you think. Some reviewers are calling it dragging, mundane and boring. I did not see it that way. Yes, it may be long but it is never mundane or without meaning. In a way, this movie is also an attempt at cinematic purity of storytelling that is lost on many now.

I have been waiting for some time to get a follow up to "Court" from Chaitanya Tamhane. I had no idea this film was from him and only got to know it as the credits came. He is the Sharad to today's mainstream cinema. Hopefully he finds more patrons than Sharad does.

"The Disciple" is a Drama - Music movie in which we watch a young classical vocalist trying to find he way into the music along with the meaning of his existence. He has some doubts about himself and his skills but he has to work on himself in order to overcome them.

I found this movie interesting and new for me since I did not have any information or background of this kind of music. I enjoyed the way it was presented and the traditional style of it. The direction which was made by Chaitanya Tamhane who is also the writer of it, it was very good and he presented very well the origins of this music and its traditional style. The interpretation of Aditya Modak who played as Sharad Nerulkar was very good and he made the difference. Lastly, I have to say that "The Disciple" is a good movie and I recommend you to watch it.

This is my first review...Great cinema needs more voices supporting them through their reviews on IMDB. I watched "Court" which was released in 2014 and had been eagerly awaiting Chaitanya Tamhane to belt out another one in the same genre. A people story, without glamour. Where the characters don't shout out their situation but where you, as a viewer have to piece the puzzle yourself. There are no straight answers, its a buffet where your characters have a mix of traits and you pick and choose how you want to perceive them. The director only does his bit, keeps adding to the palette of each character. There is a sense of foreboding which keeps looming beyond each frame. Lot of cliches aptly dealt with..the master disciple relationship, jealousy and longing for recognition...passion and mediocrity and finally dedication vs submission to the "difficult to accept reality"...

A slow, quiet film about a man's quest for perfection in the world of Indian classical music.

Indian music apparently has a large spiritual component to it, and this man feels that it's not enough to just be musically good. He has to also be spiritually and morally pure in order to be worthy. Over the course of the movie, he starts to realize the standards he's set for himself are unrealistic, and in one of the movie's best scenes, he becomes aware that the idols he reveres and tries to emulate don't live up to them either.

Sometimes I admired him for being so devoted to something, and other times I just thought he was putting himself through a lot of mental anguish for no reason, which is what I think about a lot of really religious people.

"The Disciple" is a very solid movie. I wasn't greatly moved by it, but I was mostly engaged with it. I always love stories set in India, because it's a culture I just happen to have a lot of interest in.

Grade: A-

What struck me most was the authenticity of each scene. The authentic love to write and direct such a movie on Indian Classical Music. One must be bold as well as devoted to tackle such a theme in the times of the spread of light music so influenced by Western music and culture.

Chaitanya has made no compromises. What more can you say of a director!

Like a well rendered Khayal the story moves placidly from one concert to the next , from Guru-Shishya Parampara to the commercialisation of music, from devotion and Tapascharya to disillusionment and break down. The denouement comes on the terrace with a commercial buyer, a fake lover of music and it's piety.

A must watch for all lovers of Indian Classical Music and Indian-ness.