The Disciple

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.