Continuing our series of writers picking out under-the-radar films available to stream is a recommendation of an often brutal drama about mediocrity
Movies about mediocre artists almost never get made, for the obvious reason that history has rightfully forgotten about them. It’s a delicious indignity, for example, that the great Oscar-winning adaptation of Peter Shaffer’s play about the obscure Italian composer Antonio Salieri is called Amadeus, after the musical savant whose genius far eclipsed him. Sometimes generational fame is a matter of timing or ineffable charisma, as the Coen brothers movie Inside Llewyn Davis implied about its hero, a never-was folk musician. But in the real world, such stories are written constantly, since so few have the goods to realize their dreams of greatness.
The superb Indian drama The Disciple, picked up and released last year on Netflix, offers the rarest of rare portraits of artistic mediocrities, because...
Movies about mediocre artists almost never get made, for the obvious reason that history has rightfully forgotten about them. It’s a delicious indignity, for example, that the great Oscar-winning adaptation of Peter Shaffer’s play about the obscure Italian composer Antonio Salieri is called Amadeus, after the musical savant whose genius far eclipsed him. Sometimes generational fame is a matter of timing or ineffable charisma, as the Coen brothers movie Inside Llewyn Davis implied about its hero, a never-was folk musician. But in the real world, such stories are written constantly, since so few have the goods to realize their dreams of greatness.
The superb Indian drama The Disciple, picked up and released last year on Netflix, offers the rarest of rare portraits of artistic mediocrities, because...
- 5/4/2022
- by Scott Tobias
- The Guardian - Film News
"Stick to the very first impulse, the reason why you wanted to do this." Netflix has debuted a featurette for the acclaimed Indian musician film The Disciple, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year and won Best Screenplay there. This already debuted on Netflix (in the US) in April - we posted the trailer then and the film is available to watch now. Some critics complained that Netflix didn't do any promotion and barely notified anyone that it was released. The film was executive produced by Alfonso Cuaron, so he hopped on Zoom to chat about why he supported this talented filmmaker, who is the same director of the underrated drama Court. Self-doubt, sacrifice and struggle converge into an existential crisis for a devoted classical vocalist as the mastery he strives for remains elusive. It's based on the true story of singer Sharad Nerulkar. The Disciple stars Aditya Modak,...
- 5/26/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
"Through this music, we are shown the path to the Divine." Netflix has unveiled the trailer for a musician drama from India titled The Disciple, which first premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year and won Best Screenplay there. It also stopped by the Toronto, Zurich, New York, and London Film Fests last year, which is an indication this is worth your time. Self-doubt, sacrifice and struggle converge into an existential crisis for a devoted classical vocalist as the mastery he strives for remains elusive. Based on the true story of singer Sharad Nerulkar. The film stars an exemplary cast: Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat, and Kiran Yadnyopavit, among others. "Catch The Disciple strike all the right chords on 30th April, on Netflix." From the same director behind the underrated Indian drama Court. This is getting rave reviews and looks like a moving story of perseverance.
- 3/30/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Netflix is following in the footsteps of “The Disciple,” acquiring the worldwide rights to the Indian drama that is executive produced by Alfonso Cuarón. The film won the Best Screenplay award at the Venice Film Festival ahead of earning an Independent Spirit award nomination on Tuesday for Best International Feature.
“The Disciple” is in the Marathi language and set in Mumbai, and was written, directed and edited by Chaitanya Tamhane. Netflix plans to release it on its service soon.
The film tells the story of Sharad Nerulkar, who devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of the old masters, his guru and his father. But as the years go by, Sharad starts to wonder whether it’s really possible to achieve the excellence he’s striving for.
Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat and Kiran Yadnyopavit all star in the drama.
“The Disciple” is in the Marathi language and set in Mumbai, and was written, directed and edited by Chaitanya Tamhane. Netflix plans to release it on its service soon.
The film tells the story of Sharad Nerulkar, who devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of the old masters, his guru and his father. But as the years go by, Sharad starts to wonder whether it’s really possible to achieve the excellence he’s striving for.
Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat and Kiran Yadnyopavit all star in the drama.
- 1/27/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Marathi-language drama is nominated in the best international feature category of the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Netflix has picked up world rights to Chaitanya Tamhane’s Marathi-language drama The Disciple, which won best screenplay at last year’s Venice film festival and is executive produced by Alfonso Cuaron.
Earlier this week, the film was nominated in the best international feature category of the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
It also won the Fipresci prize at Venice and the Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Produced by Vivek Gomber’s Zoo Entertainment, the film tells the story of a...
Netflix has picked up world rights to Chaitanya Tamhane’s Marathi-language drama The Disciple, which won best screenplay at last year’s Venice film festival and is executive produced by Alfonso Cuaron.
Earlier this week, the film was nominated in the best international feature category of the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
It also won the Fipresci prize at Venice and the Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Produced by Vivek Gomber’s Zoo Entertainment, the film tells the story of a...
- 1/27/2021
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
'The Disciple' is a Marathi drama film written, directed and edited by Chaitanya Tamhane and executive produced by Oscar winning director, Alfonso Cuarón. The film was awarded the Fipresci International Critics Prize and the Best Screenplay award at the 77th Venice International Film Festival.
It was also screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named a winner of the Amplify Voices Award. Earlier this week, the film was nominated at the Film Independent Spirit Awards under the Best International Feature category. The Disciple will soon release exclusively on Netflix and stars Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat and Kiran Yadnyopavit in pivotal roles.
'The Disciple' is the story of Sharad Nerulkar, who devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of the old masters, his guru and his father. But as the years go by,...
It was also screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named a winner of the Amplify Voices Award. Earlier this week, the film was nominated at the Film Independent Spirit Awards under the Best International Feature category. The Disciple will soon release exclusively on Netflix and stars Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat and Kiran Yadnyopavit in pivotal roles.
'The Disciple' is the story of Sharad Nerulkar, who devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of the old masters, his guru and his father. But as the years go by,...
- 1/27/2021
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Exclusive: Netflix has taken world rights to Venice Film Festival Best Screenplay winner and Spirit Award nominee The Disciple, which is executive-produced by Oscar winner Alfonso Cuaron.
Written, directed and edited by Chaitanya Tamhane, the well-received Mumbai-set drama charts the story of Sharad Nerulkar, who devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of the old masters, his guru and his father. But as the years go by, Sharad starts to wonder whether it’s really possible to achieve the excellence he’s striving for.
Starring are Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat and Kiran Yadnyopavit. Vivek Gomber produces.
Endeavor Content and New Europe Film Sales struck the deal with Netflix.
The film was awarded the Fipresci prize in Venice as well as the Best Screenplay award before going on to play at Toronto, where it won an Amplify Voices Award.
Written, directed and edited by Chaitanya Tamhane, the well-received Mumbai-set drama charts the story of Sharad Nerulkar, who devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of the old masters, his guru and his father. But as the years go by, Sharad starts to wonder whether it’s really possible to achieve the excellence he’s striving for.
Starring are Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat and Kiran Yadnyopavit. Vivek Gomber produces.
Endeavor Content and New Europe Film Sales struck the deal with Netflix.
The film was awarded the Fipresci prize in Venice as well as the Best Screenplay award before going on to play at Toronto, where it won an Amplify Voices Award.
- 1/27/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Movies were already facing a distribution crisis before the pandemic. With only a handful of deep-pocketed buyers dominating the festival markets, and many buyers wary of anything save for safe commercial bets, it has become increasingly difficult for daring international cinema to break through the North American market. At the same time, the pandemic has forced a lot of distributors to rethink their role in film culture, as they’ve worked within the constraints of home viewership to reach eager audiences beyond those with easy access to the arthouse.
Early innovation by companies such as Kino Lorber and Oscilloscope helped pioneer the notion of the “virtual cinema” release that brought recent acquisitions to national audiences while creating a modest pipeline for theaters. Companies like IFC and Magnolia, well-entrenched in the VOD space for over a decade, churned along. Neon and Bleecker Street embraced their Hulu output deals while others, from Array to Grasshopper and Mubi,...
Early innovation by companies such as Kino Lorber and Oscilloscope helped pioneer the notion of the “virtual cinema” release that brought recent acquisitions to national audiences while creating a modest pipeline for theaters. Companies like IFC and Magnolia, well-entrenched in the VOD space for over a decade, churned along. Neon and Bleecker Street embraced their Hulu output deals while others, from Array to Grasshopper and Mubi,...
- 12/7/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“Do you know anything about magic?” Chaitanya Tamhane asks, smiling at the Adriatic Sea glittering warm and emerald ahead of us. It’s the last few seconds we have together, and I regret this has come so late. On my way to the interview, I’d promised myself we’d touch upon something the writer-director-editor had mentioned in an earlier chat: his affiliation with the Spanish School of magic. I didn’t know anything about magic—much less what the Spanish School is or does, exactly—but the connection seemed curiously relevant to his second feature, The Disciple, which unveiled in Venice in early September before resuming its festival tour in Toronto and New York. Tamhane’s sophomore effort is his second Venice entry: his feature debut, Court, nabbed the top award in the Orizzonti sidebar in 2014. That film followed an Indian folk singer who finds himself accused of inciting a worker to commit suicide,...
- 10/13/2020
- MUBI
Chaitanya Tamhane’s second feature-length film, The Disciple, trains its camera on characters to explore their entire person. Tamhane intentionally stages his characters, and by considering their proximity to each other, you understand their relationship to the scene and each other. Without much in the way of inciting incidents, the story moves forward by watching Aditya Modak as Sharad, the eponymous disciple of a particular Indian classical music tradition. We see Sharad try and fail at his craft through his youth into middle age.
The Disciple is the antithesis of the film school logic “write what you know.” The film is the marriage of Chaitanya Tamhane’s personal nightmare of failing at movie-making despite having international auteur status and exploring something totally outside his purview. Tamhane knew nothing Indian classical music before his research began; he says writing what he knows would bore him.
We spoke with Chaitanya Tamhane during...
The Disciple is the antithesis of the film school logic “write what you know.” The film is the marriage of Chaitanya Tamhane’s personal nightmare of failing at movie-making despite having international auteur status and exploring something totally outside his purview. Tamhane knew nothing Indian classical music before his research began; he says writing what he knows would bore him.
We spoke with Chaitanya Tamhane during...
- 9/30/2020
- by Joshua Encinias
- The Film Stage
We came, we saw, we conquered from our couches. Looking back the 45th Toronto International Film Festival as it wound down yesterday, it was sometimes easier to fixate on how different this year’s edition was compared to previous years. Different is, of course, putting it ridiculously mildly: For starters, there was no actual Toronto in our TIFF ’20 experience. The lineup was way more modest and the potential for A-list awards-lusting far, far more muted. What normally would have been a communal screening at the Bell Lightbox or the Winter...
- 9/20/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Unfurling an entire life of failed artistic ambitions in the span of a two-hour film, Chaitanya Tamhane’s remarkable sophomore feature “The Disciple” is decidedly leisurely in its approach. Executive produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Tamhane’s film centralizes the world of Hindustani classical music, in which singers perform an improvised raga, modulating their voices depending on the singer’s emotional state. This highly technical musical form, perhaps most famously popularized in America by Ravi Shankar, serves as the backdrop to the ambitious struggles of Sharad Nerulkar (Aditya Modak), a musical protégé who may not be as talented as he believes he is.
Continue reading ‘The Disciple’ Is A Profound Study Of A Failed Artist [Venice Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Disciple’ Is A Profound Study Of A Failed Artist [Venice Review] at The Playlist.
- 9/14/2020
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
Chaitanya Tamhane’s “The Disciple,” the first Indian film in Venice Film Festival’s competition since 2001, is set across three different time frames. It follows an aspiring classical music performer, Sharad Nerulkar, played by debutant Aditya Modak, on a journey that resembles that of a monk following a guru, experiencing sacrifice and solitude along the way.
The culture surrounding Indian classical music is a very specific one, Tamhane explained at the film’s press conference Friday. “It’s an 800-year-old tradition. People who are not familiar with it often think it is a niche, dying subculture,” he said. “But on the contrary, it is an ever-evolving artform, rich, non-static tapestry that has impressed and inspired many Western musicians, including Philip Glass, John McLaughlin and The Beatles.”
Tamhane started the project with zero knowledge on the subject, he said, but two years of reading, traveling, interviewing and attending concerts made him “obsessed with it.
The culture surrounding Indian classical music is a very specific one, Tamhane explained at the film’s press conference Friday. “It’s an 800-year-old tradition. People who are not familiar with it often think it is a niche, dying subculture,” he said. “But on the contrary, it is an ever-evolving artform, rich, non-static tapestry that has impressed and inspired many Western musicians, including Philip Glass, John McLaughlin and The Beatles.”
Tamhane started the project with zero knowledge on the subject, he said, but two years of reading, traveling, interviewing and attending concerts made him “obsessed with it.
- 9/5/2020
- by Anna Tatarska
- Variety Film + TV
In The Disciple, a dedicated student of traditional North Indian music must grapple with the nagging feeling that he might not be quite good enough. The film is the latest from Chaitanya Tamhane, an Indian filmmaker who made a big splash in Venice in 2014 when his debut feature Court—a naturalistic film that quietly and comprehensively lampooned the Indian criminal justice system––won the Horizons award for best film. He was 27 at the time, still relatively young, yet some called it a masterpiece. Now at 33, Tamhane has followed it with a story about a person who hopes, perhaps in vain, to achieve such acclaim. We suggest approaching with a degree of caution if such doubts sound eerily familiar.
Stories of the also-ran are certainly not uncommon in the movies. Tamhane’s disciple is named Sharad and he lives amidst a hustling bustling Mumbai. The film tracks the relationship between Shahad and his widely admired guru,...
Stories of the also-ran are certainly not uncommon in the movies. Tamhane’s disciple is named Sharad and he lives amidst a hustling bustling Mumbai. The film tracks the relationship between Shahad and his widely admired guru,...
- 9/5/2020
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
When Chaitanya Tamhane’s extraordinary debut “Court” premiered in Venice’s Horizons section in 2014, it heralded the arrival of a bright talent willing to take risks with a cerebral kind of independent cinema. Graduating to competition at Venice before traveling to other top festivals, the Indian director’s second feature “The Disciple” is more ambitious in scope and also more personal, though Tamhane’s approach, abounding in establishing shots, could distance viewers intimidated by their unfamiliarity with north Indian classical music.
For those able to set aside potentially daunting feelings of ignorance, this rich, multi-layered story of a young man’s dedication to mastering the spiritual and technical elements of “raga” singing offers much to ponder on teacher-pupil relations, the nature of performance and the consuming character of an artistic calling. Alfonso Cuarón’s involvement as executive producer should also boost its profile.
Khayal is a traditional Hindustani musical form...
For those able to set aside potentially daunting feelings of ignorance, this rich, multi-layered story of a young man’s dedication to mastering the spiritual and technical elements of “raga” singing offers much to ponder on teacher-pupil relations, the nature of performance and the consuming character of an artistic calling. Alfonso Cuarón’s involvement as executive producer should also boost its profile.
Khayal is a traditional Hindustani musical form...
- 9/4/2020
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
Years of adherence to stringent rules leave a performer at odds with modern society in this melancholy film from Chaitanya Tamhane, India’s first Venice competitor for two decades
Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple comes boldly billed as the first Indian film to play in Venice competition since Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding won the Golden Lion in 2001, just before the Twin Towers fell. That’s a long time for a nation’s film-makers to sit on the sidelines, left out in the cold – assuming they ever saw it that way. Possibly they did not. The Disciple, for one, is about the virtues and pitfalls of steering one’s own course. Its hero is embarked on a long, lonely quest. The bright lights and red carpets hold little attraction for him.
You don’t have to be familiar with the intricacies of Hindustani music to appreciate Tamhane’s heartfelt, melancholy...
Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple comes boldly billed as the first Indian film to play in Venice competition since Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding won the Golden Lion in 2001, just before the Twin Towers fell. That’s a long time for a nation’s film-makers to sit on the sidelines, left out in the cold – assuming they ever saw it that way. Possibly they did not. The Disciple, for one, is about the virtues and pitfalls of steering one’s own course. Its hero is embarked on a long, lonely quest. The bright lights and red carpets hold little attraction for him.
You don’t have to be familiar with the intricacies of Hindustani music to appreciate Tamhane’s heartfelt, melancholy...
- 9/4/2020
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Northern Indian classical music sounds like nothing other than itself: The jangling of the sitar and the meditational warbling of the improvised vocals known as raga have a profound ancient quality that taps into the mystery of human existence. Ravi Shankar may be the name most closely associated with popularizing such melodies in the West, but the art form (known as Hindustani music) extends well beyond the accomplishments of one man. That’s the hard truth faced by Sharad (real-life musician and acting newcomer Aditya Modak) in Chaitanya Tamhane’s brilliant sophomore drama “The Disciple,” the story of an idealistic young performer who dreams of capturing the magic of a musical traditional that he may lack the talent to achieve himself. In Tamhane’s dreamy, transcendent character study, the undulating raga melodies serve as a transformative portal to self-discovery that places the audiences in the confines of its entrancing power.
- 9/4/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
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